Raiders head coach “Black” Jack Del Rio doesn’t bother messing with the racial politics of the NFL’s Caste System – he just purges White players entirely from his rosters. He proudly set the record for the fewest White players on a team when he coached Jacksonville – 9 – and has outdone himself the past two years as the 2016 Oakland Raiders match last year’s all-time record low of just 7 Whites.
Here are the “lucky seven”: quarterbacks Derek Carr, Matt McGloin and rookie Connor Cook from Michigan State; blocking tight end Lee Smith, middle linebacker Ben Heeney; long snapper Jon Condo; and veteran kicker Sebastian Janikowski.
There’s not a single White offensive lineman; Jon Feliciano comes closest but is clearly a mestizo.
Tight end Ryan O’Malley from Penn somehow made the practice squad.
Is Del Rio still a trailblazer, leading the NFL to ever blacker teams, or will there ever come a time when the Caste System overdoes it to the point where there’s resistance from fans and maybe even some White players and their friends and families? What’s clear is that if there is ever going to be any pushback it hasn’t started yet, other than from a single website that has been chronicling the injustices of the Caste System since 2004.
Starters:
QB Derek Carr (burgeoning star who keeps getting better each season)
TE Lee Smith (only a matter of time until Clive Walford becomes the official starter)
MLB Ben Heeney (has star qualities and will be a tackling machine if he stays healthy)
Number of Whites on 53 man roster: 7
Grade: F-
Here are the “lucky seven”: quarterbacks Derek Carr, Matt McGloin and rookie Connor Cook from Michigan State; blocking tight end Lee Smith, middle linebacker Ben Heeney; long snapper Jon Condo; and veteran kicker Sebastian Janikowski.
There’s not a single White offensive lineman; Jon Feliciano comes closest but is clearly a mestizo.
Tight end Ryan O’Malley from Penn somehow made the practice squad.
Is Del Rio still a trailblazer, leading the NFL to ever blacker teams, or will there ever come a time when the Caste System overdoes it to the point where there’s resistance from fans and maybe even some White players and their friends and families? What’s clear is that if there is ever going to be any pushback it hasn’t started yet, other than from a single website that has been chronicling the injustices of the Caste System since 2004.
Starters:
QB Derek Carr (burgeoning star who keeps getting better each season)
TE Lee Smith (only a matter of time until Clive Walford becomes the official starter)
MLB Ben Heeney (has star qualities and will be a tackling machine if he stays healthy)
Number of Whites on 53 man roster: 7
Grade: F-