Several years ago, I joined a group of Black journalists who pledged not to write or watch the NFL due to the white-balling of Colin Kaepernick. It was nothing written down, just an oral agreement.
Sadly, the verbal “pact” was non-binding, and some eventually returned to watching pro football games. It certainly also didn’t stop people in general from watching NFL games, especially Black folk.
But I kept my word, becoming in essence a solo protestor of sorts as I continue to point out the league’s current and historical problems, such as its poor hiring of Black head coaches, a still active racial discrimination lawsuit against the NFL filed by a current Minnesota Vikings assistant coach, and the failure of the Rooney Rule in hiring Black coaches, among other pertinent issues
I mentioned this last month when I met for the first time Vikings starting fullback C.J. Ham at United Theological Seminary of the Twin Cities at a sponsored event. He said that he totally understands my position in this regard.
“I personally don’t get too much into the politics and everything like that,” said Ham. “All I can say is that we [as Black players] just try to stick together, especially during George Floyd.
“It was an extremely hard time,” he recalled. “A lot of people were hurting on the team, in the community, as family, and just the only thing that we could do was stick together at a time that felt like kind of the world’s closing in on us.”
The 5’11” Ham was signed by the Vikings as an undrafted free agent in May 2016. This season, he became the 13th player in league history since 2000 and the first Viking player since 1991 to record a blocked punt and rushing touchdown in the same season. He is a Duluth native who played football and earned his physical education and health degree from Augustana (S.D.) College. He is married and father of two daughters and a son.
A couple of weeks ago the Vikings announced that Ham was the team’s 2025 Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year nominee for the second consecutive season. The award is considered the league’s most prestigious.
During the week leading up to Super Bowl LK, all 32 nominees will be recognized for their accomplishments. The ultimate winner will be announced on Thursday, Feb. 5.
In their Dec. 4 press release, the Vikings listed some of Ham’s community efforts, including a Ham Scholarship Fund (launched in 2022) by C.J. and his wife Stephanie; the couple annually “adopts” a family from a Twin Cities Boys & Girls Club for the holidays, hosting a dinner and fulfilling the family’s wish list; and hosting the C.J. Ham Youth Football Camps in the summer in Duluth and Sioux Falls, S.D.
“We are not just athletes,” said Ham. “We’re way, way more than that.”
Said Vikings Head Coach Kevin O’Connell of Ham, “What makes this award unique is that it’s team-voted. He is someone who is committed to serving others and brings his teammates along with him.
“He is truly one of one,” concluded the coach.
Finally…
During last week’s Zoom call with reporters, including MSR, on the Dec. 26 Minnesota-New Mexico bowl game, Gopher Coach P.J. Fleck made known that defensive line coach Dennis Dottin-Carter was let go after one season in the position.
Dottin-Carter was one of five Black assistant coaches on this season’s Gopher football coaching staff.
“He did a tremendous job while he was here,” said Fleck of the now former assistant coach. “But I just felt like it was time that we needed to move in a different direction there. Just felt like we needed to make a change in that position right now.”
Charles Hallman welcomes reader comments to challman@spokesman-recorder.com.