Retired Miami Heat legend Dwyane Wade endorsed former NBA player Baron Davis’ opinion that ESPN’s use of headlines to describe the firings of NFL coaches was racist in nature and “bulls—.”
Told you @espn be on bullshit lol https://t.co/0U6EyB5ZeL
— Baron Davis (@BaronDavis) January 6, 2021
— DWade (@DwyaneWade) January 6, 2021
The basis for the claim of racism was due to the terminology used. The New York Jets and Jacksonville Jaguars, respectively, “parted ways” with their white head coaches Adam Gase and Doug Marrone.
In contrast, the Los Angeles Chargers “fired” African-American Anthony Lynn after he had served as head coach for four seasons.
The semantics used to describe any dismissal from a job in all walks of life can frequently be softened by either the company performing the task or the media outlet that reports it.
Exactly why ESPN chose to offer a different interpretation of Lynn being replaced by the Chargers is unknown, but it’s clear that their choice of words struck a nerve with African-Americans like Wade and Davis.
One likely reason for the sensitivity to ESPN’s language is because having an African-American in the role of an NFL head coach continues to be a challenge for the league to overcome.
While the reaction of Wade, Davis and others may be seen as an overreaction by some, the heightened focus on racial concerns over the past year may make this a more prominent issue when it comes time for those teams to hire new head coaches.
