By LaKeshia N. Myers
Dr. LaKeshia N. Myers
The recent controversy surrounding Shedeur Sanders and his NFL draft prospects has once again pulled back the curtain on the deeply entrenched systems of control and racial bias that continue to plague professional football. As the talented quarterback and son of NFL Hall of Famer Deion Sanders prepares for his professional debut, during the NFL draft we witnessed the same tired narratives that have limited Black excellence in the league for generations.
In his groundbreaking book Forty Million Dollar Slaves, William C. Rhoden expertly dissects how the NFL, despite its predominantly Black player base, maintains a plantation-style structure where primarily white owners and executives hold the power while Black athletes provide the labor and entertainment value. The Shedeur Sanders draft shenanigan serves as a perfect case study of this dynamic in action.
The criticism of Sanders’ confidence is particularly telling. When a young Black quarterback displays the same self-assurance that’s celebrated in his white counterparts, it’s suddenly labeled as “arrogance” or “attitude problems.” This phenomenon speaks to a larger truth in America: Black confidence is often perceived as a threat to white insecurity. A secure sense of self-worth displayed by Black individuals challenges the very foundation of a system designed to keep them doubtful of their value and capabilities.
The NFL’s history with Black quarterbacks also tells a damning story. For decades, talented Black signal-callers were either not drafted, converted to other positions, or relegated to backup roles based on racist assumptions about their intellectual capabilities and leadership potential. While we’ve seen progress with stars like Patrick Mahomes, Lamar Jackson, and Jalen Hurts, the lingering biases remain evident in scouting reports and media coverage that question Black quarterbacks’ decision-making abilities and football IQ.
Perhaps no tool has been more insidious in perpetuating these stereotypes than the Wonderlic Cognitive Abilities Test. This 12-minute, 50-question exam has been used to make sweeping judgments about players’ intelligence and potential success, despite overwhelming evidence that it is an ineffective predictor of NFL performance.
A 2005 study by McDonald Mirabile examined this very issue and found no significant correlation between a quarterback’s Wonderlic score and their passer rating. Equally important, Mirabile discovered no meaningful relationship between these test scores and quarterback salaries. Yet the NFL continued using this flawed metric for decades, with the results often leaked to the media when Black quarterbacks scored lower than their white counterparts.
When we examine the history of the league, patterns emerge that cannot be dismissed as coincidence. Teams have historically been hesitant to invest in Black quarterbacks, especially those who don’t conform to white standards of behavior and expression. The position, long considered the “thinking” role on the team, was protected as a bastion of white representation in a league where Black athletes dominate most other positions.
The parallels to plantation dynamics are impossible to ignore. Just as enslaved people with literacy and confidence were viewed as dangerous to the system, Black quarterbacks who display intellectual prowess, leadership abilities, and unapologetic confidence challenge the NFL’s traditional power structure. The controlling mechanisms have evolved, but their purpose remains the same: maintain the hierarchy.
The Sanders controversy comes at a time when the NFL is still grappling with the fallout from Colin Kaepernick’s protest of taking a knee. Kaepernick’s ostracization from the league after his peaceful protest against racial injustice demonstrated how quickly the NFL will discard even talented Black players who challenge the status quo.
As we watch Shedeur Sanders navigate this system, we must recognize that the criticisms of his demeanor aren’t about football – they’re about power. They’re about maintaining a structure where Black excellence must be packaged in a way that doesn’t threaten white comfort. This mindset is not unique to the NFL, it is present in every occupation, organization, and situation where whiteness is (or traditionally has been) the norm.
True progress in the NFL won’t come from simply having more Black quarterbacks. It requires dismantling the plantation mentality that permeates the league’s ownership, management, scouting, and media coverage. It demands recognizing that confidence isn’t arrogance when it comes from a place of proven ability and hard work.
Until the NFL addresses these fundamental issues, talented young Black quarterbacks like Sanders will continue facing obstacles that have nothing to do with their ability to play football and everything to do with America’s ongoing struggle with race and power.