Barry Sanders. Earl Campbell. Walter Payton. Jim Brown. Adrian Peterson.
If you look at that short list of some all-time NFL running backs and the first thing you think is, “Look at all those black people,” you might actually be San Francisco 49ers defensive end Drake Jackson.
Because as far as Jackson is concerned, the most notable characteristic of a football player is the color of his skin.
Jackson raised a few eyebrows when a video began making the rounds on social media. It was a clip that appeared to be shared by his girlfriend on TikTok showing Jackson’s excitement over his new Niners teammate, running back Christian McCaffrey.
You can see the video below:
WARNING: The following video contains vulgar language that some viewers will find offensive.
Drake Jackson ??? pic.twitter.com/2c3F0HXRO0
— kendyll ❤️? #fttb (@kendogg49ers) October 21, 2022
“S***, I can’t believe it. Christian f***ing McCaffrey! Oh, s***!” Jackson said. “We got a little — we got a white boy! That sunshine’s real!”
Now, to be completely fair to Jackson, it genuinely didn’t seem like he was trying to be racist or had any malice when describing his new teammate as “sunshine” and a “little white boy.” It does appear that Jackson’s outburst came from a place of genuine excitement, and that’s understandable.
McCaffrey, when healthy, is one of the most versatile and talented players in the NFL, period, regardless of skin color. And at just 26 years old, McCaffrey still has roughly four years before hitting the dreaded 30-year mark (most running backs see a stark drop in productivity once they cross to the other side of 30).
It also helps that McCaffrey seems like a genuinely good person, whether he’s saving a man’s life or giving two Marine veterans a wonderful surprise.
So if Jackson’s comments came from a place of real excitement, why are they garnering so much attention? Because they cast a sobering spotlight on the wild racial double standards that exist in the NFL, and America as a whole.
Could you imagine if the race roles were reversed here? If Jackson were white and McCaffrey were black, it is inarguable that Jackson would be raked through the coals for ever uttering “little black boy” to describe his new teammate.
This underlying anti-white sentiment is hardly new in the world of sports.
From Luka Doncic falling to third in the NBA draft despite being galaxies better than the two black players taken ahead of him, to pretty much anything Jemele Hill says or does, to a movie literally called “White Men Can’t Jump,” anti-white sentiment has always just sort of been… accepted in the sports world.
But as Ben Shapiro points out, double standards simply cannot be acceptable. Nothing will tear this country apart faster than double standards, so they need to be called out and rooted out at every turn.
Jackson’s comments, and the lack of outrage over them, are also in stark contrast with those of another 49ers defensive end, Nick Bosa.
Bosa, whose only crime appears to be being conservative and disagreeing with Colin Kaepernick, had to endure some wild accusations and slander about how “racist” he is.
So is Nick Bosa just internet racist, or full blown MAGA racist?
— Evan Sowards (@EvanSowards) May 14, 2018
“Full-blown MAGA racist”? Because he doesn’t like Beyonce?
Again, Bosa never played the race card. He simply stated that he thinks Kaepernick is an idiot, Beyonce’s music is bad, and “Black Panther” is a bad movie.
Bosa never mentioned race in those critiques, and yet he was labeled a racist. Jackson explicitly mentioned race, and nary a wrist was slapped.
If that’s not a double standard, nothing is.
