Shaun King doesn’t want to say ‘blackballed,’ but he apparently thinks that the reason that Aaron Brooks, Daunte Culpepper, Byron Leftwich (and, oh…himself) don’t have jobs in the NFL is because they’re black.

Never mind that Culpepper turned down a $1 million offer this off-season, apparently still believing he deserves starters money and a chance to start. Despite not looking that good in his last healthy partial season, and showing signs that he isn’t the same player after a devastating knee injury.

Never mind that Leftwich will probably still get a call this summer, despite not being able to eventually beat out Joey Harrington or Chris Redman last year in Atlanta.

Never mind that Brooks never was seen as much of a leader, often seemed to crack under pressure, and in his last season playing in Oakland, threw only three touchdowns, while throwing eight interceptions and fumbling 13 times in just 8 games. I seem to remember questions about his willingness to put in the time studying too, but can’t say that for sure.

Never mind that King was always seen as having questionable arm strength, hasn’t played in the league since 2004, and hasn’t played regularly since 2000, a season in which he was ok (18 TDs to 13 Int), but not great (54.4 completion percentage).

There are a limited number of quarterback spots in the NFL. There’s a bunch of them that are occupied by solid starters, and/or the early draft picks. There’s always a bunch more occupied by rookies and young, unproven guys, as everyone looks for the next Tom Brady. And there’s a bunch of spots reserved for coaches favorite clipboard carriers, who have spent a lot of time as backups, and can serve as a mentor to the younger quarterbacks on the roster.

Leftwich is the one that seems to make the least sense for not having an opportunity right now–but I can’t say if he’s willing to accept not having a big chance to compete for the starting role, or if he’s much of a mentor role. Culpepper has shown that he’s not interested in being a backup, and his recent attitude would make me think most coaches would want to keep him away from your young QBs–but he could still get a chance. Brooks was considered a solid starter for a few years, but not recently. King never really fit any of the categories.

And there are plenty of examples of white guys who maybe should have gotten more of a chance too–Jesse Palmer, Doug Johnson, John Navarre, and Jonathan Quinn are just a few white guys who could probably claim that they never got a fair shake too. Maybe not as much experience starting, but a few of them had better college resumes than starting at Tulane, too.

And if King really thinks he deserves one last shot at the NFL, he would be best to shut his mouth about the issue. There actually is precedent for guys making comebacks after lengthy layoffs–Tommy Maddox after his XFL stint, and Chris Redman, since he was so familiar with the spread offense.

Of course, for every opportunity like that, there’s probably a dozen more like Jeff George, who still wants one last chance today, despite not playing since 2001.