"It's pretty pathetic": Fans call out CFB insider for dragging race into Marcus Freeman's bid to win national championship

Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman is seeking to become the first-ever black head coach to win a national championship in football today. This was a subject of discussion for the cast of First Take on ESPN today ahead of the national championship game between Notre Dame and Ohio State this Monday night.

During the show, Desmond Howard said:

"We have a Black coach coaching the national championship game tonight [on Martin Luther King Jr. Day]. If he's able to pull that off tonight, against that team, in Atlanta, you could not write a better script."

This statement had a mixed reception from fans on X, with some disliking the fact that Howard turned the discussion to race:

"These people can't live without race. Its always a black and white thing. It's pretty pathetic."

"Why does it have to be about race? Will we ever move forward? You’re making it about the coach and not about how had these young men worked to be in the position to win a National Championship," a fan said.

"We all know who Desmond is rooting for irrespective of the race of the coach. If the Buckeyes had a black coach he wouldn’t said anything about it!" another fan said, alluding to Howard being a Michigan Man.

A few more fans commented on the race issue, with a couple making some sarcastic remarks.

"Wait, if he loses, that invalidates MLK Day? That's what that sounds like. Winning or losing, it's about representation. That in and of itself is the accomplishment"

"Leave race out of it….. May the BEST team win regardless of color of skin! God made us all equal in his own image"

"Don't let Marcus Freeman tell it!!! He'll tell you he's mixed with everything else..."

Marcus Freeman on what it means to coach the national championship game on MLK day

Inevitably, Marcus Freeman got asked about how it feels to coach the national championship game during Martin Luther King Day. For the coach, the two shouldn't be mixed. MLK Day is something far more important than any football game. On Saturday he addressed the issue:

"What I don't want to do is lump the national championship game with what Dr. King has done for our country, right. January 20th, MLK Day, is about celebrating the life of Dr. King and the impact he's made on our country," Freeman said. "None of that light should be taken away by this national championship game."

"The example he set for so many others of not only to talk about the beliefs you have but to actually put those beliefs into action and to make change and to fight for what you believe in is a legacy that I hope to follow and every person in our program follows. And no matter what the color of your skin is, the example he set for Americans I think is tremendous."

Marcus Freeman's father, Michael Freeman, is an African American, while his mother Chong Freeman is of South Korean descent.