Finally, the NFL reaches Peak Diversity. Only when all white people have been replaced has true diverse nirvana been attained.
NFL’s First All-Black Crew Officiated ‘Monday Night Football’ Game, NPR, November 23, 2020
The Monday Night Football matchup between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Los Angeles Rams made history, but it had nothing to do with the two teams vying for playoff seeding.
For the first time, the league assembled an all-Black officiating crew, led by Jerome Boger, a 17-year NFL official.
Rounding out the seven-member crew: umpire Barry Anderson, side judge Anthony Jeffries, line judge Carl Johnson, down judge Julian Mapp, field judge Dale Shaw and back judge Greg Steed.
“This historic Week 11 crew is a testament to the countless and immeasurable contributions of Black officials to the game, their exemplary performance, and to the power of inclusion that is the hallmark of this great game,” Troy Vincent, a former NFL player who is now the league’s executive vice president of football operations, said in a statement.
Boger became the third Black referee in the history of the league when he was promoted from line judge during the 2006 season.
“I am proud of my heritage and excited about my participation in this historic game,” Boger said in a statement. “The opportunity to work with a great group of Black officials and exhibit our proficiency in executing our assignment is something I am really looking forward to.”
The all-black officiating crew took the field during a season where the NFL vowed to do more to elevate issues of diversity and racial equity.
Prior to the 2020 season kickoff in September, the league announced it will play “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” known as the Black national anthem, before every week 1 NFL game.
It also allowed teams to stencil “End Racism” and “It Takes All of Us” in home team end zone early on in the season, as The Washington Post noted.
In June, several NFL players took to social media to criticize the league for not doing more to call out racial inequities, including system racism and police brutality, following the police killing of George Floyd by Minneapolis police on Memorial Day.
“…a season where the NFL vowed to do more to elevate issues of diversity and racial equity.”
Diversity and racial equity are mere words for a total exclusion of white people.
Don’t you get it?
We call this a major mask off moment.
