The NFL Still Sees Everything In Black And White, But It Doesn’t Have To Be That Way

This article was written by Matt Foley and published on Sport & State, a new media company founded by Clay Travis that is built around sports, culture, original voices, and live conversation.

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Despite all of its “End Racism” endzone messages and “Stop Hate” helmet decals, the NFL remains mired in a continuous dialogue about race. Whether it’s quarterback debates, head coaching hires, or viral hypotheticals, the conversation surrounding America’s most popular league is black versus white.

On Tuesday, a previously sealed scouting report on Minnesota Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores was made public in his ongoing racial discrimination lawsuit against the NFL and several teams.

The report, titled “Brian Flores – Strengths and Weaknesses”, was prepared by an executive search firm for the Las Vegas Raiders and included an unusual assessment of Flores’ background.

“Polished and a good presenter despite growing up in Brownsville, Brooklyn (same as Mike Tyson),” the report stated, before crediting Flores’ friendship with a billionaire’s son for helping him learn to interact with “white-collar, upper-class” individuals.

A recruiting firm’s report on Brian Flores contains multiple examples of what his lawyers say are racial stereotypes that NFL teams use when evaluating Black coaching candidates. https://t.co/zvkVd58Xsn

— ESPN (@espn) October 13, 2026

The memo also suggested Flores could deceive executives with his polished presentation and described him as difficult to work with. Flores’ attorneys called the assessment evidence of racial stereotyping in the NFL’s hiring process.

“The recently unsealed documents demonstrate two unfortunate, but unsurprising, realities,” attorney Douglas Wigdor said, alleging that Flores had faced retaliation for his lawsuit and that discrimination continues to influence NFL coaching decisions.

Whether the report proves racial discrimination is a question for the courts. What’s clear is that its language raises legitimate questions about how minority coaching candidates are evaluated.

The QB Race Debate

Meanwhile, another never-ending racial debate around two of the NFL’s biggest stars — Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen and Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson — reared its head this week.

As elite athletes who play the quarterback position differently than most of their peers, Allen and Jackson have often been compared throughout their careers.

But too often, the online discourse around the two former MVPs becomes less about passing yards, touchdowns, and playoff victories, and more about the pressure to pick a side based on racial and political bias.

Former ESPN personality Bomani Jones has repeatedly questioned whether Allen receives more favorable media treatment than Jackson because of race, while critics have accused Jones of applying different standards to the two quarterbacks.

The controversy resurfaced recently when Jones sharply criticized Allen for a costly interception after offering a more sympathetic assessment of a similar mistake by Jackson.

Sport & State founder Clay Travis pushed back against the racial framing, arguing that fans shouldn’t feel obligated to support one quarterback over another based on skin color.

“I hate when people try and divide us by using identity politics,” Travis said on his show last week. “Seems to me that Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson have a lot in common, and that their race does not actually signify any substantial difference at all.”

Race-obsessed identity politics losers have tried to argue you can’t root for both Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson. That’s insane. I hope both these guys win Super Bowl’s one day. Don’t let their identity politics hate steal your joy. https://t.co/ly6JuEUfG4

— Clay Travis (@ClayTravis) October 7, 2026

And therein lies the point. Allen and Jackson are exceptional at their craft. They are two era-defining superstars who have changed the way modern NFL offenses can be played. They are both, notably, still pursuing Super Bowl rings, which is what we should judge them on.

When it comes to play style and excitement, both have it in spades. So why not root for both?

Josh Allen is a better quarterback than Lamar Jackson in my opinion. But I’m a Lamar fan too. This is what I’ve been talking about, many left wingers like this guy are so obsessed with race that they find it impossible someone can be fans of both.

— Clay Travis (@ClayTravis) October 13, 2026

Criticizing Josh Allen or Lamar Jackson for their play on the field is not a racial critique. Fans who think Allen is better than Jackson are not automatically mind-controlled by right-wing football traditionalists who want to keep the black quarterback down.

Likewise, fans who think Jackson is better than Allen are not automatically blue-pilled liberals incapable of rooting for the next great Caucasian gunslinger.

They’re just fans. Some of them are sane, some are not. It’s the same reason why I still believe Daunte Culpepper was better than Donovan McNabb, and why I’ll never give up on Shane Buechele (one of Allen’s backups, by the way).

Hell, maybe you prefer a statue in the pocket. Root against both Allen and Jackson for all I care. Their respective games provide more than enough material for legitimate football debate.

Just leave the low-hanging racial trash on the curb. Hopefully, the NFL owners and hiring managers get the message, too.

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