Chris Broussard: “I don’t think the Lamar Jackson ‘LET’S MOVE HIM TO RECEIVER, HE’S NOT GOING TO BE ABLE TO DO IT IN THE NFL’ talk was racial. You already have a lot of black quarterbacks in the NFL, and with Jackson's speed and the fact he wasn’t incredibly accurate in college? Eric Crouch, a white guy, was a great running quarterback at Nebraska, and never got a shot in the NFL at quarterback and they tried to make him into a wideout. Face it, we’ve never seen this before in the NFL. It turned out to be wrong but it was legitimate then.” (Full Audio at Bottom of Page)
Listen to Chris Broussard explain why he doesn’t believe that the polarization of Lamar Jackson’s NFL potential crossed racial lines, as the speculation into the future of Jackson’s talents was one of the most fiercely contest debates in Draft history -- and still rages on today despite Jackson posting MVP numbers for a first place Ravens team.
A lot of the buzz around Jackson began with the headlines around Draft time in 2018 that included former NFL GM Bill Polian, one of the most respected executives in league history, questioning if Jackson should consider moving to wide receiver in the pros, as the Heisman Trophy winning quarterback from Louisville was one of the most electric athletes in college football history, and was coming off a junior season in which he RAN for 1,601 yards and 18 touchdowns.
It instantly ignited a racially charged debate concerning the idea of pigeonholing black quarterbacks more as athletes than pocket passers, especially since Jackson came into the league among a deep group of first round quarterbacks that included Baker Mayfield, Sam Darnold, Josh Allen, and Josh Rosen. Jackson's loudest defenders questioned why these players, all white, weren't asked to try out for other positions, although the idea of asking college quarterbacks to try out at other positions wasn't anything new.
Check out the audio below as Chris details why he believes Jackson’s critics had every right to question Jackson in the NFL, and says superstar white quarterbacks like Eric Crouch were also asked to changed positions in the pros, and never even got the chance to play quarterback like Jackson did.