The NFL’s 2022 season kicks off Sept. 8 with the Los Angeles Rams playing the Buffalo Bills. The Arizona Cardinals open up on Sept. 11 when they host the Kansas City Chiefs.
Both the Cardinals and Chiefs will start African-American quarterbacks, and 13 of the league’s 32 teams will start people of color at that position in Week 1.
That’s a percentage that would have been impossible even a decade or two ago, when many NFL executives questioned whether African-Americans had the intelligence and leadership skills to be a starting quarterback. And, to some, the recent controversy over a study clause in Cardinals’ quarterback Kyler Murray’s new contract indicated that some in the league still feel that way.
Journalist Jason Reid recently wrote about the NFL and African-American quarterbacks in his book, "Rise of the Black Quarterback: What It Means for America."
The Show spoke with him to learn about the shift.
