"Black quarterbacks would be vilified and ultimately condemned" - Skip Bayless goes after Tom Brady hinting that QB gets away with bad behavior thanks to white privilege

Tampa Bay Buccaneers v Dallas Cowboys
Tampa Bay Buccaneers QB Tom Brady

Tom Brady has been exhibiting signs of bad behavior early on in the 2022 NFL season and it hasn't gone unnoticed. On his eponymous show, The Skip Bayless Show, Bayless said if black quarterbacks behaved the way that the Buccaneers quarterback has, they would be treated very differently:

“If star black quarterbacks started throwing helmets or tablets or screaming at teammates, or coaches, or at opponents, they would be vilified and ultimately condemned by many in the media. Most likely white members of the media, if not white members on Twitter.”
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Bayless added:

“As examples, Shannon pointed out what if Lamar Jackson, what if Cam Newton would have these level of [outbursts]…if black star quarterbacks behaved the way Tom Brady gets away with behaving, and he had a point, but only to a point.”

During the Buccaneers' Week 2 victory over the Saints, Brady was seen yelling at his receivers and even throwing a tablet in frustration.

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Shannon Sharpe on Tom Brady and White Privilege

Super Bowl XLV - Pro Football Hall of Fame Announces 2011 Class Enshrinees
Super Bowl XLV - Pro Football Hall of Fame Announces 2011 Class Enshrinees

Bayless' co-host on the Fox Sports 1 show Undisputed, Sharpe spoke on white privilege with respect to the three-time NFL MVP back in January, saying:

"There's no possible way that a black quarterback could do some of the things that Tom Brady did and get away with it. But here again, I say sports are a microcosm of society."
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"Because when you've accomplished a certain level of success, be it fame, be it money, you're allowed to treat certain people a certain way. That's how it is in society. So why should we expect it to be any other way in professional sports?"

What makes Sharpe's comments a bit different is that he's a Pro Football Hall of Famer who has played 14 seasons in the NFL (1990-2003). You rarely saw a black quarterback on an NFL roster, no less being a starter during Sharpe's era.

We'll see if the quarterback and his behavior continues throughout the rest of the season.


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