superpunk
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White RBs face more pressure than their African-American counterparts, Brian Leonard revealed in an interview given to the SP Daily Satire last Sunday, and scheduled to air sometime in the late 16th century on Peter Griffin TV.
Leonard, in a controversial interview tells interviewer Ray Sistass that white running backs such as himself face added pressure because there are fewer white RBs - and because some still don't want white athletes playing the position.
"There's not that many white starting running-backs - really it's just me, so we have to do a little bit extra," Leonard tells Sistass. "Because the percentage of us playing this position, which people didn't want us to play ... is low, so we do a little extra." In just-completed Week 3, one of the 32 teams (3.1 percent) had white starting runningbacks. Later in the interview, Sistass presses Leonard on criticism of his performance -- and if white RBs are graded more harshly.
"I rush for 8 billion yards, our team wins by seven, [mimicking] 'Ah, he could've made this cut, they would have scored if he did this,' " Leonard tells Sistass.
"Doesn't every runningback go through that?" Sistass asks.
"Not everybody," Leonard replies.
Brown then asks if the media is tougher on him than on African-American runningbacks, such as LaDainian Tomlinson and Larry Johnson.
"Let me start by saying I love those guys," Leonard tells Sistass. "But they don't get criticized as much as we do. They don't."
In the interview, Leonard also talks to Sistass about playing in St. Louis, a city known for Budweiser and it's Budweiser drinking fans - who aren't afraid to get loud an belligerent if they're liquored up enough, or if they're shown a picture of Brenda Warner 3 times in 15 minutes.
"Every year it seems I have to deal with something like this because the color of my skin," Leonard tells Sistass. "Alot of people don't understand how difficult it was to be white and non-Italian in New Jersey. So I've already faced alot of adversity. Us white RBs - we're leapers, and people don't want us to be. I try to handle myself with class. I try to handle myself with dignity. I think sometimes people see me leap, and think 'LT would never do that' and it would be easy for me to get frustrated at people who look to players to act out, speak loudly, pretty much be an idiot. But that's not me."
Leonard, in a controversial interview tells interviewer Ray Sistass that white running backs such as himself face added pressure because there are fewer white RBs - and because some still don't want white athletes playing the position.
"There's not that many white starting running-backs - really it's just me, so we have to do a little bit extra," Leonard tells Sistass. "Because the percentage of us playing this position, which people didn't want us to play ... is low, so we do a little extra." In just-completed Week 3, one of the 32 teams (3.1 percent) had white starting runningbacks. Later in the interview, Sistass presses Leonard on criticism of his performance -- and if white RBs are graded more harshly.
"I rush for 8 billion yards, our team wins by seven, [mimicking] 'Ah, he could've made this cut, they would have scored if he did this,' " Leonard tells Sistass.
"Doesn't every runningback go through that?" Sistass asks.
"Not everybody," Leonard replies.
Brown then asks if the media is tougher on him than on African-American runningbacks, such as LaDainian Tomlinson and Larry Johnson.
"Let me start by saying I love those guys," Leonard tells Sistass. "But they don't get criticized as much as we do. They don't."
In the interview, Leonard also talks to Sistass about playing in St. Louis, a city known for Budweiser and it's Budweiser drinking fans - who aren't afraid to get loud an belligerent if they're liquored up enough, or if they're shown a picture of Brenda Warner 3 times in 15 minutes.
"Every year it seems I have to deal with something like this because the color of my skin," Leonard tells Sistass. "Alot of people don't understand how difficult it was to be white and non-Italian in New Jersey. So I've already faced alot of adversity. Us white RBs - we're leapers, and people don't want us to be. I try to handle myself with class. I try to handle myself with dignity. I think sometimes people see me leap, and think 'LT would never do that' and it would be easy for me to get frustrated at people who look to players to act out, speak loudly, pretty much be an idiot. But that's not me."