The Reggie White Controversy

As I said, I don't get up on my soapbox very often, but when I see something like this, I feel it's time. Reggie White was (note the past tense) one of the few football players I admired for their on and off field conduct. Even after his church had been burned down during the summer of black church burnings, he had nothing offensive or condemning to say. That was until recently. The comments below are from the April 6, 1998 issue of Newsweek from a speech he made to the Wisconsin State Legislature. Read them below and form your own opinions.

It was bad enough when Jimmy the Greek, Marge Schott and Al Campanis made racist remarks. But it was even more shocking last week to hear slurs and stereotypes from Green Bay Packer Reggie White, who's black and an ordained minister. Speaking before Wisconsin's legislature about his social-work efforts, White listed the "gifts" of different races. Blacks, he said, are good at "celebration and worship"; whites "know how to tap into money"; Hispanics are good at family structure and "can put 20, 30 people in one home." Asians, he said, "can turn a television into a watch." Citing Bilbical strictures, he also referred to homosexuality as a sin. "People from all different ethnic backgrounds are living this lifestyle. But people from all different ethnic backgrounds are liars and cheaters and malicious and backstabbers." Later White said his remarks were an attempt to "get people to come together." It didn't work for him: CBS, which had auditioned White for a job as an NFL analyst, said he's now out of the running.

Now, after reading those words, how could anyone be anything but upset. For someone in such a high profile position, with young children looking up to him as a role model, to say such incendiary things really bothers me. Reggie White has lost all my respect with these statements. CBS, on the other hand, gains some respect for keeping to their policy of tolerance at ALL times, not just while on the field as the Green Bay Packers do.

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This page created on: 04/06/98