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As we know, the month of February is Black History Month, and while I’m sure that a lot of you folks follow the Minnesota Vikings on the various social media platforms, I wanted to share this video that the team’s official Twitter account shared the other day so that everyone could see it.
Jim Marshall was discriminated against during a road trip as a member of the #Vikings.
— Minnesota Vikings (@Vikings) February 8, 2020
He and Carl Eller share their stories about what they've endured because of the color of their skin. pic.twitter.com/4LfXFdiaze
The video features two of the famed Purple People Eaters, Carl Eller and Jim Marshall, telling stories about how they were discriminated against because of the color of their skin. Eller’s story is from when he was much younger, but Marshall’s story is actually connected to his time in the NFL.
Marshall’s story centers around a trip that the Vikings made to Atlanta to take on the Falcons for what must have been a pre-season game. (I say that because Marshall mentions Norm van Brocklin as the coach, and the first game between the Vikings and Falcons in Atlanta happened in 1967 after Bud Grant had taken over.) Marshall was the first black player off of the bus at the hotel that the Vikings were staying at, and the hotel manager had an issue with that.
I won’t spoil the story, since I want you to hear Marshall tell it in his own words, but it is reflective of the sort of garbage that was prevalent at that point in our history.
If the Vikings share any more stories like this, we’ll be certain to put them up here.