Chris Rainey and Jerome Bettis: A Tale Of Two Running Backs

by Jayden and Jason

By now you know that Pittsburgh Steelers' 2012 fifth-round draft pick running back Chris Rainey was arrested on Thursday for the assault of his girlfriend, and then released that same day. It cast a bit of a dark cloud over the news previously reported that beloved former Steelers phat back Jerome Bettis was among the 15 finalists for the Hall of Fame. With respect to Charles Dickens, it was a tale of running backs.

It was the worst of times...

We're truly looking at a juxtaposition here in style, stature and abilities. Rainey has the potential to make the NFL his own personal pinball machine, sending opposing teams to TILT on a regular basis if used properly. The depth of his talents were barely tapped his rookie season in a Steelers uniform. Nonetheless, his mercurial speed, slithery elusiveness and his third-to-fifth gear explosiveness was evident. Even if only in flashes. The potential was apparent.

As is often the case, though, potential can be a dirty word. And with Rainey's troubles not going away, the Steelers decided that he must.

“Chris Rainey’s actions this morning were extremely disappointing,” Steelers General Manager Kevin Colbert said. “Under the circumstances and due to this conduct, Chris will no longer be a member of the Pittsburgh Steelers.” - Steelers.com

Being that one half of this blogger team is a surviving victim of domestic abuse, there was an immediate, visceral and emotional reaction designed toward writing a scathing eulogy for Rainey. We decided to hold off, though, because we assumed something more may come down the pike regarding the alleged incident. We were correct.

Here are the facts as we all know them now. The Steelers will waive Chris Rainey, they can't until the day after the Super Bowl at the earliest and by the end of March at the latest, because of an "alleged" assault of his girlfriend. - http://tinyurl.com/bclhzaq

Then Rainey's (erstwhile?) girlfriend, through her lawyer, denied she was assaulted...the common reaction from victims of abuse. - http://tinyurl.com/bbty28l

What may be most telling about his release is that Rainey seems to have several demons, one of which is gambling: http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2013/01/11/chris-rainey-had-two-run-ins-with-the-law-during-his-rookie-season/

So, let's run it down: in 2010, he was arrested and charged with felony stalking after threatening his ex-girlfriend, he lied to the Steelers organization by saying that he was over such things and that he'd learned from his mistakes, he previously had or he developed a gambling problem and now he's allegedly assaulted his girlfriend. Is there any wonder why he was released?

It was the best of times...

Rony. The Battering Ram. The Bus. Brian Urlacher's daddy. Super Bowl champion. Jerome Bettis has been known by many names over the years. It's high time to add another to that list of epithets: Hall of Famer.

Where Rainey dodges and darts his way in between defenders, Bettis bowled over opponents just as easily as ran past them. Appropriate analogy considering he loves to bowl and because of...well, his shape. Quickly named "The Bus" by the legendary late Myron Cope, Bettis ran roughshod over linemen, linebackers and safeties all the way to the endzone 100 times in his career, 78 with the Steelers.

Bettis was drafted out of Notre Dame into the NFL in 1993 by the then-Los Angeles Rams. He had an immediate impact on the league by rushing for 1,429 yards, and was named Offensive Rookie of the Year as well as receiving First-Team All-Pro honors. But, it was his move to Pittsburgh that cemented his legacy.

On April 20, 1996, Bettis was traded to the Steelers and hit the ground running. He totaled 1,431 yards in his first season in the Burgh, to go along with 11 touchdowns. A star was born.

All told, Bettis would pound out 10,571 yards for the Steelers earning him several Pro Bowl and All-Pro honors. The Bus pulled into the depot for the last time in February of 2006. Poetically, it was in Detroit, his hometown. Fittingly, it was in Super Bowl XL -- shouldn't the NFL's best ever truly big back end his career in a game labeled "XL?"

All aboard. Next stop: Canton.

~

TIDBITS: Maurkice Pouncey, the only center in NFL history to be voted to the Pro Bowl in his first three seasons, has also been named to the 2012 NFL All-Pro 2nd Team: http://triblive.com/sports/nfl/3285328-74/team-cowher-pro#axzz2HtufPPmg

~

Pittsburgh Steelers' official and resident Cap-ologist Omar Khan is set to interview for the Jets' GM job. If he leaves, be afraid...be very afraid. But...would The Wrath of Khan even fit in with the Jets? Mark Kaboly, Steelers beat writer and someone who is close to the situation offers his assessment: "Khan, the cap guru of cap gurus, will interview with the Jets on Thursday for their general manager job.

"While it will be a great experience for Khan," Kaboly continued, "I really can't see him fitting in with Woody Johnson, Rex Ryan and that circus. Khan is too classy for that, so expect him to be back with the Steelers."

"But eventually," he concluded, "Omar Khan will find a perfect fit and the Steelers will suffer because of it."

The Fall And Rise Of The Black Quarterback: Past, Present And Future

I'd heard the descriptions and the arguments for Jerrod Johnson going into the Pittsburgh Steelers 2012 Training Camp: his mobility, his size (6' 5" 250lbs.), that he is a great athlete, that he set a Big 12 record for throwing 242 consecutive passes without an interception and that he was a Heisman candidate who got sidetracked by an injury.

There was one thing, though, I hadn't heard about him: he is Black.

Part of that is my fault for not being better aware. Not that I have to mention this, but most of your quarterbacks throughout college and pro history have looked like dollar bills. Still, it made me think: not once had I heard about him being a Black quarterback. Is that a step forward?

The more I thought about it the more it made me curious about the overall perception of the Black QB and even if the term needs to be used anymore. In August of last year, my partner wrote an article called "The NFL, The Rooneys and Racism." In it he wrote, "...and we won't even touch on the 'Blacks can't play quarterback' nonsense." - http://ifitaintsteel.blogspot.com/2011/08/nfl-rooneys-and-racism.html

Well, I think it's time to touch on it.

(Aside: In that article, my partner mistakenly wrote that the Pittsburgh Steelers' Lowell Perry became the first Black coach in the NFL in 1957. It was actually Fritz Pollard in 1921, which we'll actually cover briefly coming up.)

In all sports there was a time when the Black race was excluded in one way or another. Gradually, whether via governmental legislation, a change in social climate, common sense or the almighty dollar, that would eventually go away. But in no other sport has there been the type resistance to the playing of a position.

Whether it was the pitcher or the shortstop in baseball or the point guard in basketball, there hasn't been the same kind of impedance to the Black man playing quarterback. Most kickers and punters out there are white, but you never hear about the plight of the Black kicker/punter.

Why? The main reason was that it's the glamour position and because of a belief in a lack of the needed intelligence to play the position. To that I say hogwash! Have you seen who the POTUS is? No matter your political beliefs, you have to be mighty doggone smart to be the president. (Even when your last name is Bush.)

Are there certain factors that may contribute to the Black QB having less success? Yes. They're institutional, societal, and scientific (as well as somewhat environmental. None of them, though, are completely valid. At least not as an argument for saying the Black man can't be ultimately successful at the highest level. Let's look at the history of it and from this point going forward.

The Past ~

The first Black QB on record in the NFL was Fritz Pollard who was mentioned earlier. He was also a halfback who became player/head coach, or co-head coach, also the first in NFL history, depending on the source you quote. Ours are BlackAthlete.net, The Coffin Corner and Ezine Articles. Here's part one to a detailed history on the subject, some of which was used in the research for our "racism" article, that I encourage you to continue to examine: http://tinyurl.com/9jtr7hp

Due to racial attitudes and institution restrictions of the time, not many Black players were allowed to fully exploit their abilities. Pollard was a star in Track and football at Brown University, even becoming the first Black man to play in the Rose Bowl. - http://tinyurl.com/8hssdmh

Pollard would be the last starting QB pro football would see until 1968 when the Denver Broncos of the AFL put Marlin Briscoe under center. And it would be almost 50 years before the NFL would see another Black signal caller.

James Harris of the Buffalo Bills got the opportunity to start an NFL game, albeit an inauspicious one, as a rookie in 1969. It was the Los Angeles Rams, though, who presented the NFL with the first Black QB to start a playoff game in 1974: James Harris.

Still, though, with there being five decades separating having the chance to prove their abilities, stereotypes and stigmas became entrenched in the minds of many that it was too cerebral of a position for the Black man to succeed.

There were, and continually so for a long time thereafter, general managers and owners and, to some degree, coaches who believed whites were better quarterbacks. Engrained institutional and societal reasons were at play. There certainly are very specific traits and/or qualities needed to play the position at the highest level: Leadership, being able to make quick decisions, pocket presence, confidence, intelligence, throwing accuracy, etc... For the longest time the image of the "golden boy" was insidiously pervasive.

Do white QBs perform better in these areas than Black QBs. One could argue that perhaps. If you wanted to take it there, you could cite the historical difference in SAT scores between white and Black students if you wanted to claim a lack of intelligence. A gap that's narrowing, by the way.

The problem with that, though, is you'd be ignoring a greater societal issue. For centuries the Black race was conditioned to believe just that. That they were less intelligent and not as able to shoulder such weights. When something is beaten into you, literally and figuratively, for so long, you start to believe it. You're also saying that Blacks aren't smart enough to be leaders.

Duke Professor Ashleigh Shelby Rosette went further in explaining this paradox. She said that "the stereotype that Black athletes are not intellectually equal to their white counterparts clashes with typical positive leadership characteristics. Yet people are motivated to view successfull leaders in a positive light. To reconcile this contradiction, Black quarterbacks are viewed as great athletes instead of great leaders when their teams win. But when they lose, people focus on their lack of leadership instead of their athleticism; Black quarterbacks are seen as bad leaders, not bad athletes." - http://www.fuqua.duke.edu/news_events/releases/quarterbacks-leadership/#.UF5yG7e9Kc0

In fact, for over half of the life of the NFL, the Black player was directly or indirectly told he wasn't smart enough to lead. Really?

Fritz Pollard, mentioned earlier, was a Brown University graduate, was a head coach in the NFL and pursued a career in business and was a successful entrepreneur after retiring from the league...and I'm supposed to believe a man like that can't read a defense?

Like I said, when you're told something long enough, you start to believe it. Case in point: Mike Howell.

In 1988, legendary Grambling St. coach Eddie Robinson told Mitch Albom of the Detroit Free Press a story regarding his quarterback. He said that Howell told him that he wanted reps in the secondary because "I'm not going into the NFL as a Black quarterback." - http://mitchalbom.com/d/journalism/554/eddie-robinson-sees-dream-come-alive

That isn't just a one-sided thing, either. Football coaches, especially at the high school level, teach from what they know: tradition and experience. Their leadings have an affect, not only on the players they coach, but also on the magazines and websites that promote those players/prospects. Want proof? Look at the difference between the Top 15 "pro style" QBs and the Top 15 "dual threat" QBs for 2012 according to Rivals.com:

The Present ~

One could make the argument that there are many more Black athletes with premiere quickness and explosiveness, thus their dominating the the "skill" positions. Scientists report that Blacks have more fast twitch muscle fibers than whites and a more favorable center of gravity. Most sports favor athletes with quickness and explosiveness. Blacks, therefore, dominate most (American) sports.

Does this mean, though, that a Black athlete can't succeed as quarterback at the highest level? Not at all.

Even though there were QBs who did use their atheticism to their advantage and had a ran first, pass second mentality, Randall Cunningham, Kordell Stewart and Michael Vick as examples, there were also those who were and are "pro style" passers, Warren Moon, the late Steve McNair (known as "Air McNair" in college, though he did use his athleticism more in the NFL to advance his team to the Super Bowl) and Doug Williams (the first and only Black QB to win a Super Bowl).

Black males have been always been praised for their physical prowess and other endowments, while their white counterparts have been acknowledged for their intellect and work ethic. Perfect examples are Vince Young and Tim Tebow. Virtually the same quarterback in many ways, one has simply received more accolades than the other. Maybe it's like what Jamie Foxx said in "Any Given Sunday" after all: http://youtu.be/n9BD0BXIKU8

Still, Black QBs have flourished once given adequate chance. Period. The fact that Blacks weren't even allowed to regularly play the position until well into the 1980s can't be ignored. If you had a fifty year head start, you'd be behind the curve too. Will that be used as an excuse? No! Which leads us to...

The Future ~

Nothing you could tell me could make me believe the Black man doesn't have the intelligence or capacity to lead. I see it in the one who sits in the Oval Office. Even though they don't start, I see it with my beloved Steelers in the backups entrusted to step in if Ben Roethlisberger cannot-one of whom, Charlie Batch, will assuredly coach one day. And I see it every weekend in the future of NFL QBs across the country. The likes of Washington's Keith Price, Clemson's Tajh Boyd and my West Virginia Mountaineers' very own Geno Smith.

Washington quarterback Keith Price is easily the second best QB in the Pac-12. Last season he passed for 3,063 yards with 33 touchdowns and only 11 interceptions. This season he's already led his Huskies to a win over No. 8 Stanford.

The ACC is filled with talented QBs and Clemson's Tajh Boyd is the best of them all. Last year he threw for 3,828 yards with 33 touchdowns and 12 interceptions and has a chance to improve on those numbers this year with talented weapons at his disposal. A 4,000 yard and 35 touchdown season is a strong possibility for Boyd.

Lastly, Geno Smith. He was spectacular in all facets of the game in 2011. He had 4,385 passing yards, 31 touchdowns and only seven interceptions. He has tremendous poise and pocket presence. He's the undisputed leader of the team and might have more weapons on offense than anybody in the country. Especially if he can lead the Mountaineers to 10 or 11 wins, Geno is a legitimate Heisman contender. - http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=8440471

If so, he'd be in good company. The last two Heisman Trophy winners and three of the last six have been Black QBs: Troy Smith (2006), Cam Newton ('10) and Robert Griffin III ('11). Though, Smith hasn't panned out, the future is very bright for both Newton and RGIII.

Those aren't the only ones, either. The landscape of the quarterback position is evolving to include a QB who can run AND has a pocket presence that allows him to know when to stay that extra nanosecond to deliver an accurate pass. And the college ranks are full of such players-both white and Black. Though still not immensely predicated on those fast twitch muscle fibers to make an immediate physical decision, the ability to do so has always been an asset. If you don't believe me ask Fran Tarkenton, Roger Staubach, Terry Bradshaw and Steve Young-they could run and had a few Super Bowls between them too.

As I asked in the beginning of this piece, have we taken a step forward? Yes, I'd say so. Do we still have a ways to go before articles like this are pointless? Yes, we do. There are aspects of this subject that could be debated over many more articles. The bottom line for me is to simply get to a point where we call the Black QB by just what this article alluded to at the outset: a quarterback.

The NFL, The Rooneys and Racism

    Racism. It's a word that causes an immediate reaction no matter what your background is. We see it in all walks of life in it's various forms. Thankfully, though, it isn't nearly the problem it once was. Sure, we have occasional situations of actual racism, this is still America after all, and it usually surrounds Blacks and whites. But, outside of what are essentially remote rural pockets of blatant racism, we simply don't see it to a great degree much anymore. I'm not speaking here of prejudice, by the way, that's alive, well and rampant. I will speak on things from that standpoint too, though. Here I'm speaking of actual racism: the belief that inherent differences among races can determine cultural or individual achievement or superiority.
    For 12 years that was the case with the NFL. Between the years 1934-1946 there was an unofficial ban on Black players. This was mainly because of racial fears amongst professional team owners. There had been Black players in what came to be known as the NFL before then, to be certain. In fact the history of the Black player in the NFL can be broken down into three eras: Initial Inclusion, Exclusion and Reintegration.
    Aside: African-American is, yes, the accepted moniker, but I'm a Black man. I was raised by a Black man to be a Black man, to be a man...one who has never been to Africa. So that is the term I will be using.
    From the birth of professional football to approximately 1918, two years before the NFL officially began, there were four Black players: Charles Follis, Charles "Doc" Baker, Henry McDonald and Gideon "Charlie" Smith who played all of one game. The most notable names to play during the NFL's formative years were amongst these select few. There were Fritz Pollard and Paul Robeson who came in 1919 and 1920 and played with Akron Indians (later Akron Pros). There was Robert "Rube" Marshall who played for the Rock Island team in 1919 as well. Fred "Duke" Slater started his career in 1922. In 1932 came the second true Black football star, Joe Lillard, who signed with the Chicago Cardinals, followed in 1933 by Ray Kemp of the Pittsburgh Pirates, the first Black player ever signed by them. That, though, was the last the NFL would see of the Black player until 1946, due in part to the Cleveland Browns. But more on that later.
    The exclusion of the Black player was now in effect. Naturally, though, any sort of ban official or otherwise was denied publicly by NFL owners. Pittsburgh Steelers owner Art Rooney, said, "For myself and for most of the owners I can say there was never any racial bias." He also claimed financial problems saying that there wasn't enough money for an adequate scouting sytem. (Imagine that, a Rooney poor-mouthing something...) Chicago Bears owner George Halas also denied by making a weak claim that there simply weren't any good or talented Black players during that time. Uh-huh... Look up the names Bernie Jefferson of Northwestern and Willis Ward of  Michigan, just to name two. Most telling might just be the then L.A. Rams owner Tex Schramm's statement on the subject when he said, "You just didn't do it. It was just something that wasn't done." This would definitely add weight to what the aforementioned Ray Kemp said regarding the unofficial ban when he said, "It was my understanding that there was a gentleman's agreement in the league that there would be no more Blacks." (read: complicity) The fact that there were no Black players during that 12 year period would seem to back that up.
    The reintegration of the Black player was due at least in part to the Cleveland Browns and in full to the AAFC. The NFL now was face-to-face with a league that could not only take players from them, but also revenue. The NFL saw that the AAFC was going to stand toe-to-toe with them and that they were going to be a desegregated league. The NFL blinked first. The Rams went out and quickly signed Woody Strode and Kenny Washington. Not long after would come the signing of Bill Willis and Marion Motley to the Cleveland Browns as stated before. (I know you're shuddering, Steelers fans, but it's true-you owe a bit of thanks to the Browns.)
    While outright racism may have become an issue of the past, prejudice hadn't. You still only saw Black players in certain positions. Those being defensive back, outside linebacker, running back and wide receiver (and we won't even touch on the "Blacks can't play quarterback" nonsense). Their collective play at those select positions brought great revenue to football, especially when you add the aspect of ticket sales being bolstered by the addition of the Black audience. But the sight of a swarthy face on the sidelines as anything but a player was nonexistent. Enter the Pittsburgh Steelers.
    In 1956 Lowell Perry began his short career with the Pittsburgh Steelers. He played only six games with the Steelers before a serious injury ended his career. The Rooneys have shown themselves over the years to be fairly forward thinking with regard to prejudices. The attitude spoken of before regarding the "unofficial ban" needs to be considered in context: Art Rooney was a brand-spanking new owner in 1933 and was heavily influenced, as was the rest of the league, by Southern-born racist owner (of the Washington Redskins), George Preston Marshall. Marshall clearly wanted no Black players on his team and, as it was he who handled and headed the reorganization of the league in 1934, used his influential power amongst the other owners to quietly agree to be bigots. Jump forward 23 years and you have a Rooney who himself is now influential and recognizes not only the talent, but also the intelligence in Perry. Thus, in 1957, the Steelers hired Perry to be their receivers coach, making him the NFL's first Black coach. Perry went from there to being the talent scout in 1958. Then in 1966, after going back to school to earn a law degree, Perry was involved in another hiring first: he became the first Black color analyst for CBS Television when they hired him to broadcast Steelers games.
    The Rooneys would go on to pioneer frontiers in the NFL in other ways as well. The Rooneys realized that there was untapped talent in all-Black universities. By turning their focus that way, they found such gems as John Stallworth, Donnie Shell and Mel Blount to name a few.
    The Rooneys weren't done. They had a skinny defensive back to play for them from 1977-1978 who, after his career ended in 1980, was brought on to be their defensive backs coach from 1981-1983 and then their defensive coordinator from 1984-1988. That skinny defensive back was Tony Dungy.
     Dan Rooney in particular is noted as being instrumental in making it not only possible for more such coacing opportunities, but also for making it a priority. "The Rooney Rule" assures that ALL individuals have the chance to make their mark, sink or swim, on the head coaching front.
     Prejudice still rears it's ugly head now and then, and racism is like the Phoenix: just when you think it's dead, somehow it comes to life again to wreak havoc for a time. But the NFL seems to have exorcised their demons. And we have the Cleveland Browns, the AAFC and the Rooneys to thank for that.

UPDATE: Lowell Perry was not the first Black coach in the NFL. That honor belongs to Fritz Pollard who was co-head coach in 1921.