Racial issues faced by black quarterbacks
[3][a] The AFL was known to be more tolerant towards black players than the rival National Football League, which had harbored racist tendencies until the 1960s under the influence of Washington Redskins owner George Preston Marshall.
[11] Since the inception of the game, only four quarterbacks with known black ancestry have led their team to a Super Bowl victory: Doug Williams in 1988, Russell Wilson, who is multiracial, in 2014, Patrick Mahomes (biracial) in 2020, 2023, and 2024 and Jalen Hurts in 2025.
Other black quarterbacks to start in a Super Bowl include Steve McNair in 2000, McNabb in 2005, Colin Kaepernick (who is multiracial), in 2013, Cam Newton in 2016, and Jalen Hurts (in 2023).
[13] Four quarterbacks with black ancestry (McNair, Newton, Mahomes, and Lamar Jackson), have won the Associated Press NFL Most Valuable Player Award.
[14][15] In addition, eleven quarterbacks with known black ancestry have won the Heisman Trophy: Andre Ware in 1989, Charlie Ward in 1993, Troy Smith in 2006, Newton in 2010, Robert Griffin III in 2011, Jameis Winston in 2013, Jackson in 2016, Kyler Murray, who is multiracial, in 2018,[16] Bryce Young in 2021, Caleb Williams in 2022, and Jayden Daniels in 2023.
[27][28] In addition, some quarterbacks with low scores, such as Donovan McNabb, who is black, and Jim Kelly, who is white (15 for both), have had long successful careers in the NFL.
[29] In 2013, the NFL began administering the Player Assessment Tool, an additional test of mental aptitude to go alongside the Wonderlic during the combine process.
After being released by the Bills and signing with the Los Angeles Rams, Harris stepped in for injured Rams starter John Hadl in 1974, and head coach Chuck Knox made him the permanent starter, a first for any black quarterback and second overall since the AFL–NFL merger after Joe Gilliam briefly replaced Terry Bradshaw earlier that season for the Pittsburgh Steelers.
[36] However, Harris received hate mail and death threats due to his race, which eventually required security guards to protect him both on the field and at hotels.
Harris's demotion and later trade to the San Diego Chargers became a racial issue in Los Angeles, with journalists such as Skip Bayless and Brad Pye Jr. covering the matter.
[37][3] A wide perception of Harris' mistreatment as a starting quarterback by Rams management was referenced during a skit in the initial episode of The Richard Pryor Show.
[38] After spending his first years in the NFL as a backup quarterback and utility player, Kordell Stewart, nicknamed "Slash" due to his versatility, won the starting position for the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1997.
[39][40] Stewart would face criticism for the rest of his time in Pittsburgh for his play, race, and rumored homosexuality,[41] even hearing a racial slur from a local fan, despite a bounce-back season in 2001, and as late as 2015 when encountering Steelers owner Dan Rooney at former teammate Jerome Bettis's induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame was told by Rooney that "he would've made a better wide receiver".
[40] Following the essay's publication, numerous journalists, including Ron Cook of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, expressed sympathy for Stewart and also confirmed witnessing the racism and homophobia displayed toward him during his tenure with the Steelers.
[42] In 2003, conservative radio talk show host Rush Limbaugh claimed that the media was biased in favor of Donovan McNabb, a prominent black quarterback at the time.
[44] In a 2017 interview published by The Buffalo News, then-Buffalo Bills quarterback Tyrod Taylor stated that he always knew he would be criticized more than his white counterparts, a sentiment also echoed by Michael Vick and Cam Newton, but that it drives him to be a better player.
[45] In 2018, Watson, then playing for the Houston Texans, was the subject of racist remarks echoing these stereotypes after making a bad decision in a game.
The superintendent of the Onalaska school district outside of Houston, Lynn Redden, came under fire and later resigned for saying that “when you need precision decision making you can't count on a black quarterback.
[49] At one point after throwing 5 touchdown passes in a 59-10 blowout victory over the Miami Dolphins, Jackson was quoted as saying about his own performance, "not bad for a running back.
