McNabb Answers Critical NAACP President's Comments Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb has expressed surprise and disappointment after hearing of racially charged criticism made by Philadelphia NAACP president J. Whyatt Mondesire in a Nov. 27 column in the Philadelphia Sun. Mondesire, the Sun's publisher and editor, wrote that McNabb is a "mediocre talent" who tries to disguise his ineffectiveness behind "some concocted reasoning" that African-American quarterbacks who scramble are somehow lesser "field generals." McNabb, who endured Rush Limbaugh's comments just a few years earlier, was baffled by Mondesire's remarks. "Especially being the same color I am," McNabb told the Philadelphia Inquirer. "Obviously if it's someone else who is not African-American, it's racism. But when someone of the same race talks about you because you're selling out because you're not running the ball, it goes back to: What are we really talking about here? "If you talk about my play, that's one thing. When you talk about my race, now we've got problems. If you're trying to make a name off my name, again, I hope your closet is clean because something is going to come out about you ... I always thought the NAACP supported African-Americans and didn't talk bad about them. Now you learn a little bit more." Mondesire also claimed that McNabb's "failure as a team leader off the field" led to the Terrell Owens situation. If McNabb "had the courage to offer only a tiny fraction" of his bonus to Owens and running back Brian Westbrook, Mondesire wrote, the "media circus" could have been avoided. "When you go deep into that, or say I didn't stick up for someone, or why didn't I give a little bit of my money to someone else who is making money, you try to find an answer for that," McNabb told the Phialdelphia Daily News. "There's no answer that I've found." McNabb plans to move on from Mondesire's column, but for the first time in his Eagles' tenure, McNabb has to answer questions about locker-room leadership. "This season was a tough season from the beginning," McNabb told the Inquirer. "People may blame it on just one particular person, but ... it's something that kind of spread in the locker room. "There's never been a question of me losing the locker room until this year. If I've lost the locker room, then the question goes up why. Is it because now people are starting to look at me sideways for what I've been doing, or what I make, or whatever he had a problem with? That's the question I'm trying to get answered: If I've lost the locker room or not? No answer has come my way. "But I do know the main reason we're not a good team is because we don't play as a team. Everybody has to realize that in order for us to get back to the Super Bowl and win it, we all have to play well together. You never heard anything like this coming from the Indianapolis Colts. You never heard anything like this coming from the New England Patriots. Baltimore, when they won the Super Bowl, they never had anything like this."
This falls under the same category as Hollywood actors opining on political issues: Who the f cares what they have to say?? Why is the NAACP leader badmouthing an NFL player's game?
When I heard about this a few minutes ago on the radio, they made it sound like the head of the NAACP said it, but now I see it was an editorial by the head of the Philidelphia chapter.
was the comments made on behalf of national naacp? or at least philadelphia naacp? or its just an editorial in a local philadelphi newspaper wrote by the editor who happens to be the president of the local naacp chapter?
News Flash: Rush Limbaugh is white. Seriously though, this guy may get fired too. It was a really stupid thing to say. He'll get fired because he is supposed to be representing black people...and he clearly isn't. Every black man in the country wishes they could trade places with McNabb...and this jacka$$ basically calls him a house negro.
Rush Limbaugh stepped down after there was an outrage when he basically says everyone is hyping up McNabb just because he's black. This guy is saying McNabb trying to be white because he's not running with the ball. Both stupid comments, but I think it falls under same idea that it's never ok for a white man to call a guy he doesn't know N---a, so the latter gets a pass. On the other hand, when you have people, like Charlie Ward, sounding off on the Jews and non - Christians, he got the same backlash (which pretty much ruined his career from that point on imo)
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2005/football/nfl/12/14/bc.fbn.mcnabb.naacp.ap/ He wrote the comments in a "newspaper for blacks"...Doesn't seem embarrased about his comments nor the fact that he brought race into his opinions. I guess I'm the only one putting two and two with his official position... IMO as non-black person, Mondesire's probably alluding to the perception that blacks in fields or positions predominantly held by whites have to perform or work 100%+ better or harder in order to gain credibility or even legitimacy. Whatever the reason, Mondesire's a wrong headed idiot for using the credibility gained from his position, whether EIC or President, to comment about the dissapointing season of his local team.
What does the TO/McNabb issue have to do with race? It's irresponsible and ignorant to bring race into the TO saga, and especially to attack McNabb's "blackness" because he doesn't run harder or sacrifice some money for his comrade TO. What a joke!
Why haven't players been more vocal in the defense of McNabb? I have seen players get up and defend Owens, hell 19 of the Eagles players showed up to Owens' birthday bust in Atlantic City the other day. I don't understand it, he is a class act but is and has been taking some major hits in the last 12 months.
when I first heard this, I thought this guy really wanted to defend T.O. but he knew that wouldn't be popular with anyone so he ripped McNabb for not defending T.O.
