Skip Bayless Says White Redskins Fans Will Support Kirk Cousins over Robert Griffin III

In what seemed an attempt to hype up a nascent, and perhaps nonexistent, quarterback controversy on the Washington Redskins, Skip Bayless of ESPN made himself the story during an episode of “First Take” on Monday morning. Perhaps best known for lauding Tim Tebow and tearing down LeBron James, Bayless contended that it is human nature for white fans to support a white athlete over a black athlete if given a choice.

“I’m going to throw it out there. You also have the black-white dynamic and the majority of Redskins fans are white. And it’s just human nature, if you’re white to root for the white guy,” Bayless contended. “It just happens in sports. Just like the black community will root for the black quarterback. I’m for the black guy. I’m just saying, I don’t like the dynamic for RG3. It could stunt his growth in the NFL.”

Bayless made this claim about human nature to bolster his argument that Robert Griffin III, the reigning Heisman Trophy winner and the No. 2 overall selection in the 2012 NFL Draft, is in a precarious position in Washington due to the presence of fellow rookie QB Kirk Cousins, a fourth-round pick out of Michigan State. While attempting to make the case (which he has been doing for months) that the Redskins erred in drafting Cousins, who is white, because it puts unnecessary pressure on Griffin III, who is black, to flourish quickly, Bayless cited race as factor in determining fan opinion. {snip}

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