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Please join us at 10 p.m. Tuesday night on the African-American Athlete talk show on the Talk2MeSports radio network. Our special guest will be Abner Haynes, the former AFL All-Pro halfback, who was one of the leaders of the 1965 AFL-All Star game boycott.
Mr. Haynes, 79, will discuss his career, the ’65 boycott, what he thinks about today’s professional athletes, as well as Colin Kaepernick. And, you can trust that he has plenty to say.
Mr. Haynes explained that there is a difference between today’s athletes and the athletes from his era, and he added that it should be. Today’s black athletes haven’t faced the blatant racism and discrimination practices of the ’50s and ‘60s.
During his era simply getting on the field was a big deal. Despite his brilliance on the football field growing up in Texas, Mr. Haynes was not recruited by the University of Texas, SMU or any of the major white colleges.
“They didn’t want us to vote, and they damn sure didn’t want us to play football,” Mr. Haynes said, in an interview with TheAfricanAmericanAthlete.com. “We were all told the white players were bigger, faster, and better than us. We wanted to prove to them that was a damn lie.
“Money didn’t mean much to us,” said Haynes. “Oh, we wanted to make some money, but that wasn’t the main thing. The main thing we wanted to show them was what we could do on the field.”
Haynes went on to say that it was integrity as men that drove the ‘New Orleans 21’ to boycott the All-Star game. The black stars were treated as second class citizens while in New Orleans. They were refused cab rides, hotels and service in restaurants.
They simply were not going to have it.
“We were raised with integrity,” Haynes said. “We were taught to be strong, educated black men. The white folks tried to tell us we were inferior, but we weren’t buying it. They picked the wrong guys to mess with.”
The black players were joined by several white players. Their pressure forced the AFL to move the game from New Orleans to Houston.
Call 213-943-3407 on Tuesday to ask questions of Mr. Haynes. Check back here for an internet link on Tuesday.
