10 NFL Players Who Are Proven To Be Racist
Beyond the Sidelines: The NFL Players Whose Racist Acts Exposed the League’s Toxic Culture
The NFL locker room, often romanticized as a place of unity, has been repeatedly fractured by undeniable acts of racism and racial prejudice. From public outbursts to calculated, systemic abuse, the actions of certain players have revealed disturbing patterns of racial hostility, entitlement, and a profound lack of accountability.
Here is a breakdown of the players whose careers became defined by their racist acts and the damaging dynamics those incidents exposed.
The Public Outbursts and Immediate Reckoning
Riley Cooper (Philadelphia Eagles)
Cooper’s career was forever stained by an incident at a 2013 Kenny Chesney concert. After being denied backstage access by a Black security guard, an intoxicated Cooper was caught on video yelling a racial slur multiple times.
The Fallout: The incident was a highly public display of racial hostility at the Eagles’ home stadium, amplifying the harm among Black fans and teammates. Quarterback Cary Williams revealed the incident led to a physical confrontation in practice, highlighting the pressure Black players face to suppress anger over racism within the league. Cooper was fined, received sensitivity training, and returned to play the full season, showcasing the league’s preference for containment over deep accountability.
Cary Collins (Carolina Panthers)
The former Pro Bowl quarterback’s legacy is tainted by a 1997 incident at training camp. While heavily intoxicated, Collins directed a racial slur at Black teammate Muhsin Muhammad, reportedly saying he didn’t think of him as an [N-word] but as a “paid [N-word].”
The Context: The comment was a derogatory distinction rooted in systemic racism, implying that Muhammad’s value was purely economic. Collins’ apology was a classic display of white fragility, shifting focus to his alcoholism (“I will deny the fact that I am a racist”) rather than the calculated harm inflicted on his teammate.
Calculated Abuse and Psychological Warfare
Richie Incognito (Miami Dolphins)
Incognito was at the epicenter of a 2013 scandal involving the sustained racial harassment of Black and biracial teammate Jonathan Martin.
The Pattern: The abuse was a systematic campaign of psychological warfare conducted over two years (2012–2013). It involved voicemails and texts laden with the N-word, violent threats, and the deliberate targeting of Martin’s biracial heritage with terms like “half an [N-word].”
The Culture: The investigation (the Wells Report) revealed a broader, toxic culture in which veteran players normalized financial exploitation (forcing rookies to pay for expensive trips, like the $15,000 Martin paid for trips he didn’t even attend) alongside racial abuse. Incognito’s defense—that it was just “locker room talk”—revealed a profound lack of accountability.
Bill Romanowski (Various Teams)
Romanowski’s 16-year career was defined by a disturbing pattern of violence and racially charged altercations that disproportionately targeted Black players.
The Infamy: During a 1997 Monday Night Football game, Romanowski spat directly in Black wide receiver J.J. Stokes’s face. Black teammates Shannon Sharpe and Willie Green immediately branded the league’s $7,500 fine as racist, with Sharpe stating that spitting in a Black man’s face was “fairly close to a cross burning” in its dehumanizing impact.
Career-Ending Violence: The pattern culminated in 2003 when Romanowski ripped off Black teammate Marcus Williams’s helmet and punched him, shattering his eye socket and effectively ending Williams’s career at age 25.
Internalized Bias and Political Scrutiny
Ricky Waters (Oak Ridge High School Coach)
Waters’s post-NFL coaching career became a cautionary tale about internalized racism and the abuse of power. As head coach of a predominantly Black and Hispanic high school team in 2013, he was accused of using racial slurs, excessive profanity, and physical intimidation toward his own players.
The Dynamic: This disturbing situation involved a Black authority figure using the same dehumanizing language historically employed to demean Black people. Waters attempted to deflect blame, claiming his outbursts were directed at referees, but the official investigation confirmed his out-of-control behavior toward the vulnerable teenagers under his guidance.
Nick Bosa (San Francisco 49ers)
Bosa’s elite talent has been consistently overshadowed by allegations of racism stemming from his social media history and political displays.
The Pattern: Pre-draft scrutiny revealed posts calling Colin Kaepernick a “clown,” dismissing Black cultural achievements (Beyoncé’s music, Black Panther), and liking posts with homophobic slurs.
The Overt Act: In 2024, Bosa interrupted a postgame interview to flash a MAGA hat, openly endorsing a political figure associated with explicitly racist rhetoric. This act highlighted the league’s double standard: Bosa faced a minimal fine while Kaepernick was effectively blacklisted for protesting racial injustice.
Josh Allen (Buffalo Bills)
Allen’s path to stardom was shadowed by the emergence of high school-era tweets (2012-2013) containing racial slurs and a white supremacist slogan, “if it ain’t white, it ain’t right.”
The Deflection: Allen’s response followed the classic pattern of white fragility, emphasizing his youth and inexperience (“young and dumb,” “15, 16 years old”) rather than acknowledging the racist nature of his language or the harm inflicted.
The Double Standard: Teams knew about the tweets but largely dismissed them as “high school follies,” a tolerance that sharply contrasted with the intense scrutiny faced by Black players who speak out against racism.
These incidents, ranging from spur-of-the-moment slurs to systemic abuse, showcase the persistent challenge the NFL faces in confronting the complex and often deeply ingrained issues of racism and bias within its culture.
