NFL hopeful Deshaun Watson is calling out stereotypes in football.
The top-ranked player in college football has recently taken issue with being dubbed a “dual-threat.”
Watson suggests that the term “dual-threat” is code language in the world of football used to describe a Black quarterback who can run and pass the ball. The stereotype of Black QB’s: they are much more agile runners than they are thoughtful, calculated passers.
“People have assumed that I have to run the ball before I can throw it most all of my career, all the way back before high school,” Watson told the Bleacher Report.
“It’s a stereotype put on me for a long time because I’m African-American. I don’t know why that stereotype is still around. It’s about talent and the ability to throw the ball, not the color of your skin or your ability to also be a dangerous runner.”
Despite his recent comments, Watson says NFL MVP Cam Newton has also been hit with the same stereotypes.
“Cam, as a dual-threat guy, got the same criticism I get: He can’t throw it; he’s only a runner. He heard the same things.”
When it comes to the sheer numbers, Watson has already shattered the stereotypes. Last year he lead a historic performance setting the record for most total yards in the national championship game against Alabama.
For Watson, he is much more than a dual-threat player. He is an all-around strong athlete whose proven ability on the field has pegged him as an early favorite to take home the 2017 Heisman trophy.
He goes on, “It bothered me when I was young until I finally realized the only way to change it is to make your mark on the field and force them to see. So that’s what I’ve been doing.”