Jemele Hill

“It's something most people of color and most women have been burdened with their whole lives, having to suppress your natural emotion to make everybody else feel comfortable. Repeatedly having to do that takes its toll.”

“Most college athletes are obsessed with getting to the pros, and many of them have proved they will do anything to get there, even if it's something unethical.”

“A studio gangster dupes people into believing he's a tough guy, but in reality he's the former student body president and member of the National Honor Society. Once Vanilla Ice was fingered as a studio gangster, his career was over. Thank God.”

“Athletes are no different than many of us.”

“The sports world provides a great platform for racial discussions. It's also one of the few places in society where, 99 percent of the time, performance trumps race. Most times, but not always.”

“Yes, I do realize that men in sports media also face criticism and backlash, but the vitriol that is directed at women, especially women of color, is far more severe.”

“Someone taught us how to craft a resume, what to wear to a job interview and not to put our elbows on the table. Athletes also must be trained as professionals. Their livelihoods depend on it.”

“Racism has never been outright gone in the history of this nation, but I think we've had moments where everybody has been really fed up with its presence.”

“Maybe a lot of people probably didn't know this, but I spent the majority of my career in print journalism.”

“When you're young, you do dumb things. I just can't understand why some other athletes never were extended that same excuse.”

“Whenever black folks speak candidly about the horrors of police brutality, the default reaction in the United States isn't to start disrupting and dismantling the system of prejudices that enables the abuse of black people, but to demand silence and, sometimes, outright obedience.”

“The overwhelming majority of NFL owners are white, and when they do choose to get involved in politics, they usually champion conservative causes.”

“After my grandmother finished watching 'Lawrence Welk,' my dad would race to the TV and put on the weekly hockey game. He loved watching Henri Richard, Gordie Howe and Terry Sawchuk. My dad's seven brothers and sisters weren't particularly thrilled with his viewing choices.”

“Perspective should never influence punishment. Too often in our society, we practice selective perspective. We're willing to see all the angles only when it suits us. When perspective becomes inconvenient, we can be unflinching, even cruel.”

“Not to oversimplify what football coaches do, but their success or failure hinges on concepts that aren't foreign to any coach.”

“I think athletes are, in general, tired of so much of their persona being controlled by the media.”

“Anyone who generates opinion for a living is going to get plenty of feedback, positive or negative. Some people indeed don't like the fact that I'm a woman with strong opinions. And if they disagree with me, they are quick to point out what my gender is. I chalk it up to being the nature of people.”

“Contrary to stodgy opinions, young men have a right to go out. They want to hang with their peers. They want to talk to women. They want to show off a little of their success. Nothing wrong with any of that - as long as they're careful.”

“I am the columnist who plays the would-this-happen-to-a-white-guy game because there are just too many double standards. But I'm equal opportunity with the game, including Hispanics, Asians, women and men.”

“Far too many athletes have been unable to let go of their troubled roots or just have failed to fully understand their new lives and what's expected of them.”