Fisher DeBerry, Racist ... Or Just Evil Devil Spawn?

OK, so we've been watching the video of Air Force coach Fisher DeBerry's comments about African-American players, specifically that ""they run extremely well." First off, DeBerry — who we have a sneaking suspicion would be getting a bit more leeway if his team hadn't lost five games already this season — is clearly one of those old coaches who has lost touch with how the media works, saying things that will obviously be perceived poorly and make him look like a tottering geezer who knows nothing about today's athlete. We also think that the casual nature of DeBerry's remarks hints at a deeper-seated belief system that would make us very uncomfortable.

All that said ... uh ... does anyone — really, now — disagree with what he said? He was asked a question about recruiting, and he said his team doesn't have very many black players (we wonder why, hmm), and since other teams have more black players, and black players tend to be faster than white players, the other teams are faster. Sorry to ruin a good story here, but, well, is anyone out there willing to argue that, on the whole, white players are faster than black players? ( Operators are standing by.) Yes, yes, every player is different, and many players — particularly black quarterbacks — have suffered from decades of instituitional bias stemming from that very fact. But come on. Who are we trying to kid here? You know?

Air Force Looking Into DeBerry Comments [Rocky Mountain News] DeBerry Press Conference [9 News] (via The Wizard Of Odds)