Top NFL QB prospect reveals anti-Semitic abuse he had to endure
More than most years, the buzz surrounding Thursday’s NFL draft is all about the quarterbacks;
Does Sam Darnold turn the ball over too much? Can Josh Allen improve his accuracy? Will Baker Mayfield stay out of trouble?
One of the most polarizing prospects, though, is UCLA’s Josh Rosen.
The Bruins were inconsistent last year despite having a gifted quarterback.
His family is well-off; he actually had a hot tub in his dorm room!
Some experts may question Rosen’s toughness, but if what he says is true, that shouldn’t be an issue.
Rosen is Jewish, and as he told Michael Silver of NFL.com, religious prejudice is alive and well.
“I get a lot of Jewish things,” Rosen said. “My nose, particularly. I get, like, ‘Stay the f— down, you Jewish bastard. … I’m gonna break your f—ing nose, you Jew.'”
While that might understandably rattle some players, Rosen’s cocksure attitude seems to be serving him well against bigotry.
“I really like when people try to get in my head,” he said. “I like away games more than home games. I like silencing crowds; that’s a big thing,” Rosen said. “One of my best games was at Arizona my freshman year. It was College GameDay and they had a ton of banners. … They had, ‘Josh Rosen’s Bar Mitzvah Wasn’t Even Lit.'”
“When people really get into me, it gets my competitive juices flowing. I love seeing heartbroken fans. Some stadiums, the fans are really close to you, and they’ll call you names: ‘Rosen, go back to your hot tub.’ And when you beat them and get to turn around and wave? It’s the best,” he added.
Former Washington Post columnist and current ESPN host Tony Kornheiser suggested on his podcast earlier this month that some of the criticism levied at Rosen does indeed stem from his religion.
“This is classic anti-Semitism. … Absolutely classic anti-Semitism that says, ‘We don’t want this guy. This guy’s too smart,'” Kornheiser said.
In the pre-draft process, Rosen’s outspoken nature has been called a negative. Remember, this is a guy who wore a cap criticizing President Donald Trump — on one of his golf courses.
There’s no doubt that Rosen will hear his name called in Thursday’s first round; now the question is where exactly he’ll be picked.
We’ll find out soon enough.
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