The Atlanta Falcons have hired franchise legend Matt Ryan, 40, to be the team president of football after the ex-NFL quarterback worked as an NFL analyst for CBS Sports.
While BlazeTV host Jason Whitlock is happy for Ryan, he notes that the growing trend of former NFL players who happen to be white ending up working for the franchise later on will likely not be received well by other former NFL players.
“We’ve seen this with Tom Brady having a role with the Raiders, part of the ownership group there, and being Fox Sports’ lead broadcaster. We’ve seen Troy Aikman now. He’s some sort of consultant for the Miami Dolphins and Stephen Ross in their rebuild of their organization while he maintains his job on ESPN’s Monday Night Football — and now Matt Ryan,” Whitlock says.
“Shannon Sharpe, Cam Newton are in the lab right now preparing their racial takes. They may have uncorked them already,” he continues.
“But I know Cam Newton is going to have one of those funky Fridays where he’s sitting there going, ‘Well, hold on. I was the MVP of the league. I played in a Super Bowl and lost. How come I’m not the Carolina Panthers team president and a broadcaster on one of the major networks around the NFL? The only explanation can be racism,’” he speculates.
And one of the major reasons Whitlock believes ex-athletes like Matt Ryan find more success in sports broadcasting than someone like Cam Newton has nothing to do with race.
“Present yourself in a professional manner,” Whitlock says. “All of this wanting to look like some kind of rapper at a gay pride parade, it’s a mistake. If you want the same opportunities, if you want to be seen in a certain light, in a position where someone says, ‘Hey, that could be the leader of our organization.’”
“Don’t let your presentation of yourself overshadow what you’re actually presenting. Because these white guys that get their opportunities, they show up to work dressed in a way they’re like, ‘Hey man, what I’m about to say is really important,’” he continues.
“How are you presenting yourself?” he asks.
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