Better watch your checkbook, McNabb.
Posted on 12/19/2005 2:49:51 AM PST by rdb3
Column draws NAACP rebuke
Mondesire's McNabb criticism garners national attention.
INQUIRER STAFF WRITER
National NAACP president Bruce S. Gordon yesterday rebuked the leader of the civil-rights group's Philadelphia branch for a newspaper column that accused Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb of playing "the race card" by changing his approach to the game.
J. Whyatt Mondesire's column, published in the Philadelphia Sunday Sun on Dec. 4, was outrageous and detracted from the NAACP's core mission, Gordon said in a statement.
"Whatever possessed Mondesire to take such a negative position on a positive person like McNabb is beyond me," Gordon said. "The NAACP has many civil rights issues that require our attention. Criticizing Donovan McNabb is not one of them."
The statement said NAACP officials were investigating whether Mondesire's remarks were in accordance with the organization's policies.
Mondesire never identified himself as the NAACP branch president in the opinion article, written for the black-oriented newspaper he publishes. The piece sparked a controversy on talk radio and led to interviews with media outlets around the nation.
"We made it clear to all the media that we were not speaking for the NAACP, only for the Sun," Mondesire said yesterday.
NAACP spokeswoman Mary Wright declined to say what policies are involved, noting that the organization does not comment on internal matters under investigation.
The column in question argued that McNabb - who led the Eagles to the Super Bowl last year but had a rough 2005 before succumbing to injury after nine games - was a "mediocre talent" who was "hiding behind excuses dripping in make-believe racial stereotypes" for refusing to run the ball more often, as he did during the beginning of his NFL career.
Mondesire said that McNabb's effectiveness declined because he had shifted tactics, becoming a pocket-style passer to avoid being stereotyped as a "black" quarterback.
"You played the race card and practically all of us fell for your hustle," Mondesire wrote. "You scammed us, man, and there's no way any longer to refrain from 'keepin' it real.' "
While McNabb's annual rushing yardage has declined each season since 2000, his first year as an Eagles starter, he has never cited race as a reason for running less. He has, however, expressed resentment that some blacks playing his position are labeled "running quarterbacks."
"If you talk about my play, that's one thing. When you talk about my race, now we've got problems," McNabb said an interview with The Inquirer on Saturday. "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."
Gordon said he planned to contact McNabb with a personal apology on behalf of the NAACP.
Gordon, 59, a retired high-ranking Verizon executive, was elected president of the nation's oldest civil rights organization in July. His father was a founder of the Camden branch of the NAACP.
"I have followed the Eagles organization and its players for a long time," Gordon said. "Donovan McNabb is one of the best that they have had. He is a great quarterback, an excellent role model and a class act."
Better watch your checkbook, McNabb.
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