Do they run a double reverse prejudices on that team?

The week that was, was a really awkward week in the sports world. A pitcher gets caught stealing, a high school prospect says no to UGA’s scholarship offer but yes to his potential teammates iphones and ipads, Real Madrid throws their soccer trophy under the bus, and a stripper that took down a Duke Lacrosse team falls way off the pole and lands on her boyfriend… with a knife. If that wasn’t enough IQ flashing for you, the NFL showed they are still living in the ‘50’s… or where education and common sense is lacking and prejudices still run amuck.

While the NFL owners and players are battling for our recreational dollar, and letting us know how little they truly care in the process, NFL general managers and coaches are preparing for the draft. This yearly event inspires hope for fans of their perspective NFL teams, beginning with the combine for most teams and ending their hopes by the 3^rd quarter of their first game for the others.

During the evaluation process of college football players leading up to the draft, any die hard fan can and will tell you who their team should draft and why. They will also tell you why their GM is an idiot and who they would’ve drafted in previous years; hindsight makes winners out of all of us. Some fans are right on target; they can’t be any worse than what ESPN rolls out (hello Matt Millen, Todd McShay, and Mel Kiper Jr.). While others don’t have a clue and they will painfully regurgitate the same rhetoric they heard from the above cast of characters. Through all of this back and forth bantering, I’ve never heard one person ever mention that they couldn’t take a player serious on the field or in the locker room because they were a red head! Not until this week anyway. I have to repeat this… I’ve never heard one drunken idiot or rambling bozo say they wouldn’t draft a guy because of the color of his hair! I had to hear this from an NFL evaluator of talent?

An anonymous NFL source said, “He wonders if players will be able to take Andy Dalton, an aspiring NFL quarterback from Texas Christian University, serious in the huddle because of his red hair.” Really??? Who are these people?

Even with a helmet covering Andy’s head they are worried? It’s not like he looks like Pittsburg Steelers’ Troy Polamalu with his long hair flying everywhere; everyone knows his hair style and color has not diminished how talented he is as a player. I would think that would scare coaches before a redhead being the quarterback of their team. NFL teams don’t seem worried about their players having too many tattoos, a drug problem, or a police wrap sheet. Now they’re worried about someone having short red hair?

What’s going to happen in that huddle with Andy Dalton during a game? If they’re getting beat will one of the linemen say “We are getting beat like a redheaded stepchild out here? Andy, I now understand how you feel?” I doubt it, but who cares if they do? Will the team breakdown and no longer run the plays that are called? That’s up to the coaches to instill desire and toughness into their players. That’s drafting heart not comedians. Is their ability to coach lacking so much they’re already looking to blame someone else for their shortcomings?

Just to clarify, I understand that Andy Dalton may not be a fit for many NFL teams out there. Because the source of this quote was anonymous, I have no idea what ethnic background they may have. I would assume that this person would not want to be objected against based off their heritage. Hopefully the decision to draft Andy Dalton or any other player will be based off of his talent, not the color of his hair or the color of his skin!