Fame, Fortune and Fear: What It Means to Be Black in the NFL

September 23, 2016   ·   Mike Freeman   ·   Jump to comments

About five months ago, one of the NFL's better defensive players stopped his car on a side street in the suburbs of Dallas. He'd been visiting friends. A police car had pulled him over even though, the player said, he was traveling five miles under the speed limit.
The officer, who was white, asked for the player's license and registration. When the player, who is African-American, asked why he'd been stopped, he says the officer told him: "Just routine stuff, no big deal."
The player says the officer looked at his license and seemed to suddenly recognize him. The traffic stop ended. "Sorry, good luck to you," the officer said. He then got in his car and drove off.
The player felt conflicted. "How many black drivers were stopped and harassed by that officer for no reason?" the player remembers. "I was able to escape it because he knew I had the money and power to fight him."
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