WFNZ's Chris McClain Called a Racist on the Air!

I listen to sports radio out of Charlotte North Carolina and last week WFNZ's Chris McClain was called a racist on the air by a caller. The caller an African American was upset with McClain's attitude over Andrew Luck and Cam Newton as potential quarterbacks for the Carolina Panthers.

When Andrew Luck decided to stay in school it became a moot point, but the caller decided that Chris McClain was racist for not raving about Cam Newton. For several weeks Mac was a huge supporter of Andrew Luck being the number one pick in the 2011 draft by the Carolina Panthers. Co-host of WFNZ's "Mac Attack" Jim Celania had been a big supporter of Cam Newton then decided he wanted Luck as well.

As you can see with this interview I did with Mac in January of 2009, I have been listening to WFNZ for a while now. Mac can be loud and annoying but I do not in the least think he is a racist. A Baltimore area native his favorite player of all time is Ray Lewis. But I did see this coming that somebody would call Chris McClain a racist for not gushing over Cam Newton.

It is understandable that African American fans especially casual ones would covet Cam Newton. As you can see in my article about the history of African American quarterbacks, it has not been an easy road for those players.

But I think Mac's not being high on Cam Newton is related to the spread offense more than even the character concerns. When a college spread offense quarterback becomes a great NFL quarterback, he will be the first one. Mac clearly wanted Luck because so many experts were comparing the kid to John Elway. It was hysterical when also last week Phil Simms ripped Mac over his obsession with Andrew Luck.

It clearly bothered Chris McClain to be called a racist on the air and he felt it was unjust. African American quarterbacks are a touchy subject these days. With the explosion of great African American college quarterbacks that may not be good NFL players, racism claims are abundant. So I expect at least on sports talk radio that this will occur again and again when hosts do not walk a fine line with their fans