i can only imagine the crap that players like Ethan Kilmer go through every day. i've been in locker rooms where i was "the" White guy, and to say it is a difficult situation to deal with is putting it mildly.
however, it is even worse when the White player is the best athlete on the team, yet the coach doesn't "have his back," so to speak.
when a White player is the best player on the team, which is quite common, and he is also a recognized leader by the coaching staff and gets paid and played like a star, the blacks on the team are forced to recognize his authority to a degree, and they have to respect him as a teammate.
however, when the White athlete is ignored by the coaching staff ... it is exactly the opposite. the loneWhite wolf is targeted by the pack and attacked on a regular basis. especially if he is super fast. you can see a small amount of that in the movie "Invincible."
it's almost as ifelite athletic specimenslike Ethan Kilmer, Tom Crowder, Nick Turnbull, Nate Soelberg (the list could go on a long time) are chum in the water with sharks around. if they do geta so-called chance in a training camp, they face a whole lot more adversity than just on the playing field. but more often than not they don't even get invited to camp (as was the case with Soelberg, who was THE fastest defensive back in the country a year or two ago), because coaches know the chaos and animosity that results from having a "white boy" who can smoke a negro.
the homeboys don't like it. and since most coaches are in love with the negro athlete, they pander to the pack mentality.
say a prayer for young men like this. the hell that they go through to chase their NFL dreams is beyond most folks' imaginings.
