Former ESPN anchor and current sports columnist for The Atlantic, Jemele Hill, rarely shies away from race-baiting commentary designed to get clicks. But she’s been noticeably quiet when it comes to discussing the success of Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell, who she repeatedly insinuated only got the job because he is white.
Jemele Hill Was Very Outspoken About Dan Campbell Getting The Opportunity Because He Is White
Jemele Hill hasn’t met a sports story that she can’t interject some racist viewpoint into yet. At least that we’re aware of.
Whether it’s referring to former President Donald Trump as “a white supremacist”, suggesting fans of the Dallas Cowboys boycott the team’s sponsors in retaliation for Jerry Jones’ not allowing players to kneel during the national anthem, or implying that “rooting for the Celtics is like saying Hitler was a victim” because their rivalry with the Detroit Pistons was in part “about race,” Hill is not one to remain silent on the matter.
Such was the case when Dan Campbell, a former tight end for the team, was hired as Lions head coach in January of 2021.
Shortly after his hiring, Hill mocked him on X regarding a quote about trying to instill perseverance and fight into his squad.
“This is who black coaches are losing opportunities to,” she condescendingly wrote.
Suddenly She Doesn’t Want To Talk About It
Aside from casting shade in Campbell’s direction, Jemele Hill made some very direct comments about why the Lions selected their head coach
In a 2022 column for The Atlantic, Hill cited Campbell as an example that black coaches are judged far more harshly than their white colleagues, calling it a “continuing humiliation.”
She suggested that “despite the Lions’ 3–13–1 record, the mood around Campbell is optimistic and hopeful” because he is white.
But, as our friends at Outkick note, Jemele Hill has gone noticeably quiet on Dan Campbell and the Detroit Lions.
“Jemele Hill is silent,” the outlet writes. “In fact, OutKick reached out to her for comment and never heard back.”
Odd. Wonder what has changed here? Is it perhaps that the optimism she dismissed as being a result of Campbell being white actually yielded results on the field?
The Detroit Lions have shown significant improvement under Campbell’s leadership. Their win over the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday (30-24) locked up the NFC North title – the team’s first division title in 30 years.
They currently sit at number four in the ESPN Power Rankings, which as far as we know, the pro-social justice sports network doesn’t rate based on the skin color of a team’s coach.
The NFL’s most famously losing franchise now finds themselves staring at a 3-seed in the NFC playoffs (they still have an outside shot at the 1-seed).
Hill on Christmas Eve posted her thoughts on the Lions winning the division on X.
“Very happy for the city and long-suffering fans,” she wrote.
While Campbell is featured prominently in the graphic she shared, Hill opted not to rethink her take on his ability as head coach.
Is there any doubt, though, that if the Lions regress in any manner next year, she’ll be arguing once again that a black coach would have been fired quicker or never hired in the first place?
Hill, after all, is the Al Sharpton of sports commentary. A one-trick pony who can’t offer an opinion without looking through a lens that everybody in sports is racist.
