"...and also had a very extroverted, pro wrestler type personality, which is why he always received a lot of media attention."
A theory of mine is that the media prefers white players to have this persona. Some might call it playing the "free spirit," a term the media loves but actually is an unserious person. I recall reading an interview with Fred Dryer, Ram DE of the 70's, later successful actor. Dryer told of a NFL Films segment in which he was told to "ham it up, act crazy," which Dryer made plain was just for show. This has been the case since the 1970s in my opinion.