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The NFL and black quarterbacks: Sins of the pass

Race is never an easy topic to bring up in America.

But when we sweep the subject under the rug or shuffle it into the hall closet, we do nothing to shed light on the real racial problems that dog us as relentlessly as the quiet pull of time and decay.

I’m thinking here of race in sport, and specifically as it relates to roles of leadership by minorities. And even more precisely, how racial bias affects black and non-white quarterbacks because that position is certainly the highest-profile ‘‘leadership’’ spot in all of team sports.

If you’re old enough, you’ll remember when black athletes simply were not allowed to play quarterback at the highest levels.