Like it or not, analysts tend to use certain buzzwords when describing athletes of a certain race, and New Orleans Saints safety Kenny Vacarro pointed out the problem with saying Indianapolis Colts quarterback Andrew Luck has deceptive speed: It’s not deceptive.
According to ESPN’s Mike Triplett, Vacarro said of Luck:
“Not deceptive. Just because he’s white doesn’t mean he’s deceptive. He’s actually a great athlete. He has all the tools that you ask for as a quarterback. Smart, big arm talent, can go through all his reads and he can run. So not deceptive, he’s actually athletic.”
Now, there’s nothing deceptive about Luck, and there hasn’t been anything sneaky about the quarterback going back to his days at Stanford.
If you didn’t watch Luck at Stanford, that’s perfectly fine. But after seeing this video, which is titled “Andrew Luck nukes Cal defender on 58 yd run,” would you say there’s anything sneaky?
As for Vacarro’s notion that race factors into Luck’s description, well, he’s right.
Vice Sports recorded the buzzwords ESPN analysts used during the 2015 NFL draft, and the findings were stunning.
“Only black players were described as: gifted, aggressive, explosive, raw, and freak. Only white players were described as: intelligent, cerebral, fundamentally, overachiever, technician, workmanlike, desire, and brilliant.”
Players aren’t always so direct about adjectives for opponents, but it’s actually kind of refreshing to see the hard-hitting Vacarro attack a dumb stereotype.
Luck will take his non-deceptive ability into a matchup with the Saints on Sunday at 1 p.m. ET.