I'm Starting to Like RGIII a Little More

As a lukewarm Redskins fan (I do live in the "Redskin Zone" afterall), I have had years of disappointment  with either new quarterbacks, new coaches or both each year ever since Jack Kent Cook died (Maybe a new owner is the trick).  I try not to get too invested in each new quarterback or coach because years have shown that let down lies upon that path.  

This year, Robert Griffin III is showing promise, but that has happened before. However, today comes word that causes me to look twice at RGIII:

 ESPN Analyst Calls RGIII a ‘Cornball Brother’ Because He May Be a Republican

Under increasing media scrutiny, Griffin has been clear he does not want to be defined by his race. In a news conference yesterday cited in USA Today, Griffin, an African-American, said, “For me, you don’t ever want to be defined by the color of your skin. You want to be defined by your work ethic, the person that you are, your character, your personality. That’s what I’ve tried to go out and do.” He continued, “I am an African-American in America. That will never change. But I don’t have to be defined by that.’’

But columnist and ESPN analyst Rob Parker evidently thinks otherwise. On the network’s First Take show this morning, Parker said, “my question, which is just a straight honest question, is [Griffin] a brother, or is he a cornball brother?”

Parker, a columnist at a handful of outlets over the years, has a history of stirring the pot when it comes to race issues in sports. He teeters back and forth between evaluating how “black” Griffin is – “kind of black,” “not really down with the cause” or “not one of us,” but it’s the evidence that prompted his hand wringing that’s so disturbing. “We all know he has a white fiancé. There was all this talk about he’s a Republican, which, there’s no information [about that] at all. I’m just trying to dig deeper as to why he has an issue.”
For Parker, having a white fiancé and potentially being a Republican is “an issue.”

I wouldn't hold against RGIII if he was a red hot Obamabot, statistically the chances of an negro black African American being an Obama supporter are near unity, and I care more about his prowess as a quarterback.  But it would be a bonus if he were a conservative Republican to boot.