As a lifelong NFL fan, Ron Graves watched the just-completed NFL Draft through a lens that was undoubtedly much different than that for many, if not most of the viewers that made up the record audience that consumed the pick-fest.
Graves didn’t get hyped because a projected star receiver fell into the lap of some team or stunned that another franchise drafted a quarterback.
What struck Graves the most during the three-day draft was the makeup of the bulk of players selected. The overwhelming majority of the players chosen in the draft were African-American – particularly during the first three rounds over the first two days – an almost exclusive percentage of the people being picked were black.
“To see where we are today where there are only a few (white) players is heartbreaking,” Graves. “I want the league to do better, to live up to its potential.”
In the first round, 2 of the 32 picks were white. Over the first three rounds, 9 of the 106 drafted were white. This contrasts with the fact that in 2019 25 head coaches from the NFL’s 32 teams were white. The imbalance in a league where less than 30% of the players are white is so striking.
Hard not to notice all the shots of coaches, GMs, and team presidents drafting almost exclusively African-American players while ignoring white players who have been forced to work for free for 3 years in order to get a shot to be chosen.
— Twitter comment
April 25, 2020
The issue was illuminated during the virtual draft by sheer optics. Because the global coronavirus pandemic forced the NFL to scrap its intended show in Las Vegas and typical draft coverage, the NFL put cameras in the homes of players expecting to be drafted to comply with stay-at-home mandates across the nation.
The images provided some cute, behind-the-scenes glimpses of friends and families attached to the players. Yet it also underscored the lack of diversity in players drafted.
“I know this period is different than the ‘60s, but how much has really changed? We’re still grappling with issues of racial equality,” Graves said.
“There needs to be a lot more progress,” Graves said, alluding to the disproportionately few white players. “It’s in the best interest of the league as a brand and in terms of its reputation to do something about it.”
there doesn't seem to be anything here