Barry Switzer, retired coach of the Dallas Cowboys, said in an interview that if he were still coaching in the NFL, he would only recruit black quarterbacks. Switzer made the puzzling statement to WNSR in Nashville on Thursday, reports Fox Sports.
The question poised to him was, “If you are a coach in the NFL at this point in time — we know your opinion on Johnny and his mental state on and off the field, but we also know how much you think of him as a football player — is this a guy, in Johnny Manziel, that you would draft? Or you would want your team to draft, and would you have him as your starting quarterback on your roster?”
His response was, “I love his ability; Johnny can play,. 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.”
He never offered a real explanation other than his ideal offense is a quarterback-fullback, which means he needs guys to run fast and throw accurately. He’d prefer Jamelle Holieway, J.C. Watts or Thomas Lott.
Listen for yourself. The remarks begin around 17:10: