ESPNNFLSports & Race

ESPN’s Colin Cowherd Thinks Roger Goodell Is A Dad To Fatherless Black NFL Players

by Dan Fogarty | 2:23 pm, July 18th, 2011

Colin Cowherd has some interesting views when it comes to fatherhood. Back in November of last year, Cowherd went on a strange rant about Washington Wizards point guard John Wall, and how Wall’s lack of a father meant that he probably wasn’t cut out to run an NBA team.

The comments touched a nerve, since a) Wall’s father is dead, and b) there was some perceived race-baiting in Cowherd’s previous criticisms of Wall (who is black, and who Cowherd criticized for doing “The Dougie,” a distinctly black dance move, during a game). So the “You don’t have a dad, so you can’t lead” thing was the last straw for some people.

Well, it would appear that Colin Cowherd, professor of sociology, is back at the microphone. And this time he has a theory about Roger Goodell and NFL players who don’t have dads.

Cowherd references a column by CBS’ Gregg Doyel, in which Doyel compares the NFL commissioner to a strict father and refutes the claim by some players and media outlets that Goodell purposely disciplines black players more than white ones.

Cowherd then takes the column and uses it as a jumping-off point for this argument: since 3 out of 4 NFL players are black, and since 71% of African-American men grow up without fathers (I’m not sure where Cowherd got this figure from, but according to the Census Bureau, 56 percent of black children lived in single-parent families in 2004), and since star football players don’t get told what to do in high school and college, the NFL is the first time some of these guys have ever had a dad. Which, based on Cowherd’s logic, would mean Roger Goodell, who looks like a much bigger version of Bobby from The Brady Bunch, is a dad to roughly 1,017 black NFL players.

http://twitter.com/cheza0021 Cheza

not quit sure where Colin went with. Most of the time a single mother can be a child’s worst nightmare.
TAT21

This guy is the most uninformed pompous pos that exists on TV/Radio. Pure idiocy spews from his mouth at a record pace. Total D-bag moron and I’ll never waste another second of my life watching or listening to the drivel this embecile throws up.
http://www.facebook.com/people/Kristin-St-John/1246473455 Kristin St. John

Once I saw that he was a Sociology Professor, I’m officially not surprised whatsoever. I had many run ins with those of his ilk while in college — completely out of touch with reality, and use the Sociology background as a way to say they’re more informed than the rest of us. Then again, he’s getting press and listeners — so he’s not as stupid as we would like to believe. I will continue to switch over to another radio show — or throw on another podcast — not worth my time and energy
http://twitter.com/notademagogue Keane

The 71% number comes from the fact that 71% of black children come from parents who are not married (that number is EVERYWHERE, and it differs slightly from “single parent households.” Here’s just one link that uses it—http://www.manhattan-institute.org/html/_chicsuntimes-the_truth_about_poverty.htm).

This, of course, does not mean that all of those black children have no father figures in their lives. 1. People do not need to be married in order to live together and effectively raise children. 2. Even if those parents are not living together, and the child is in fact being raised in a single-parent home, it doesn’t mean the fathers are not actively involved in the lives of their children.

So, on top of completely misunderstanding and distorting statistics to make 71% of black fathers look like irresponsible deadbeats, Cowherd is suggesting a white guy with a tie and some discipline can effectively double as a father figure to young, rich black men. Simply, Colin Cowherd is an unthinking, ignorant, racist hack who doesn’t deserve to have a radio show or be actively involved in any other kind of mass media.
Rudo Akil Boothe

This is what happens when you allow radio personalities to simply run off at the mouth. Too bad Colin’s disciplinarian father never taught him that “you’re entitled to your own opinions, not your own facts.” For example, Donte Stallworth was charged with DUI Manslaughter. ESPN, where is your oversight for someone representing your brand?
http://pulse.yahoo.com/_3TDICXETJX3TK32QTMUUMYQKMA AndyPandy

He said that 71% of black men grow up without fathers and you quoted the Census Bureau stat that 56% of black children lived in single-parent familes. What do these have to do with each other? The 56% stat is for males and/or females living with a mother OR father, which does not mean that the 71% of males without fathers is necessarily wrong.
http://pulse.yahoo.com/_VPZAP2EVJU34C7QACG5TF27YCQ DWILLI

This is the same guy who said that Sean Taylor was murdered as a form of revenge. He is the Rush Limbaugh of sports radio
http://pulse.yahoo.com/_D5IOGHXWFRAB3CV77RYIYFMGII Clinton_Hill_Cutie

This is another reason why ESPN continues to be “The Worldwide Loser”.
http://twitter.com/summertime1949 Summer Jon

WTF this white drug addict thinks all NFL players needs a dad? He said all Black players at the, please. I rather see Demaurice Smith as a father figure. What is wrong with white people? You do know you have a whole lot of issues.
Drose1bulls1

this cracka needs to be fired
http://pulse.yahoo.com/_7IG4XRTSYUMPXEB4ONFGZEH3IY Dan

I think that “professor of sociology” comment was meant to be tongue in cheek.