In what probably no one has heard before, former Oklahoma and Dallas Cowboys coach Barry Switzer, in criticizing Texas A&M’s Johnny Manziel, said “I’d never recruit a white quarterback.”
On WNSR radio in Nashville, Switzer’s discussion of Manziel evolved into an explanation of his recruiting tactics in college football.
The original question was intended to put Switzer in the shoes of an NFL coach with the option of selecting Manziel in the upcoming NFL Draft. That’s when Switzer said the words no one else has ever uttered.
“I love his ability; Johnny can play,” Switzer said. “I’ve always said I’d never recruit a white quarterback. The only way I’d ever recruit a white quarterback to play for me was if his mom and daddy would have to both be Black, and that’s the only way I would do it.”
Really?
“My offense is a quarterback-fullback offense,” Switzer continued. “I’d have to have a Jamelle Holieway, J.C. Watts [or] Thomas Lott. Those guys are gonna be my quarterbacks, they’re great runners, they’re great ball carriers and … able to pass, complete some, and those guys could. Those guys could throw and run.”
The strength of Manziel, who is white, is that he can run and throw in the way the QBs Switzer mentioned. But he apparently has another problem with Manziel. Switzer called the former Heisman Trophy winner an “arrogant little prick.”
Troy Aikman, a white Hall of Famer who attended Oklahoma when Switzer was coach before transferring to UCLA, responded on Twitter: “What about me? Ha.”
