because of stereotypes against black men. He was a star quarterback in college Authentic Devin Singletary Jersey , and he believed he had the talent, intelligence and leadership skills to be one in the pros.Fifty years ago, during an era of massive social upheaval in the United States, just getting a chance to prove it took a risky ultimatum.Briscoe refused to switch positions after being drafted as a cornerback by the Denver Broncos, telling his team that he’d return home to become a teacher if he couldn’t get a tryout at quarterback. Denver agreed to an audition, and that season the 5-foot-10 dynamo nicknamed “The Magician” became the first black quarterback to start a game in the American Football League.“It’s just so many different historic things that happened in the year 1968, it was unfathomable,” Briscoe, now 73, told The Associated Press. “It just seemed poetic justice, so to speak, that the color barrier be broken that year at that position. For some reason, I was ordained to be the litmus test for that. I think I did a good job.”Briscoe’s groundbreaking accomplishments were somewhat lost in the shuffle during one of the most transformative years in U.S. history. Civil rights activist Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Devin Singletary Jersey Boys , and presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy were assassinated in 1968. Civil rights riots broke out across the country and there were numerous protests of the Vietnam War. And less than two weeks after Briscoe’s first start, U.S. track and field stars Tommie Smith and John Carlos raised black-gloved fists on the medal stand at the Olympics to protest America’s social injustices.But Briscoe’s legacy resonates among his contemporaries 50 years later, hitting on race as well as the pressures athletes face in pro sports. The Pro Football Hall of Fame calls Briscoe the first African-American starting quarterback in modern pro football history. Carolina’s Cam Newton and Seattle’s Russell Wilson have both considered Briscoe’s past as they contend for championships. Doug Williams, the first black quarterback to win a Super Bowl, counts Briscoe as one of his most important inspirational figures.“I know the little bit that I had to go through, so I can imagine what he had to go through,” said Williams, who won the 1988 Super Bowl with Washington. “People were a little more accepted when I came through than when he came through.”GETTING ON THE FIELDThough Briscoe starred at Omaha University and eventually landed in the College Football Hall of Fame, he was drafted By Denver as a cornerback in the 14th round. Briscoe started last among eight quarterbacks during his tryout.Helped by injuries and erratic play, Briscoe eventually stepped in for the Broncos as a reserve on Sept. 29, 1968, and nearly led a comeback against the Boston Patriots. He earned the next start against the Cincinnati Bengals, making him the first black quarterback to start a game in the AFL.Briscoe started five games that season and was runner-up for AFL rookie of the year, attracting strong crowds and energizing a franchise that had yet to establish a winning tradition.Despite his breakout season — he passed for 1 Youth LeSean McCoy Jerseys ,589 yards and 14 touchdowns and ran for 308 yards and three scores — Denver didn’t give him a chance to compete for the quarterback job in 1969. He said he was never given a reason why, so he asked to be released. He headed briefly to British Columbia, but decided Canadian football wasn’t for him. He returned to the United States and was picked up for the 1969 season by Buffalo, where he played receiver. He was a Pro Bowl receiver with the Bills in 1970 and won two Super Bowls as a receiver with the Miami Dolphins, but he never played quarterback again.“The more I’ve known him and been around him and talked to him, you’ve got to give him respect for what he did during that time and what happened to him after that time,” Williams said. “That’s the part that gets me. But that’s the time he was in.”PAYING IT FORWARDAs a senior at Grambling, James Harris kept up with Briscoe’s 1968 season by going to the library to look up his statistics.As fate would have it, Buffalo drafted Harris as a quarterback in 1969, putting him on the same team as Briscoe. It was Harris who became the AFL’s first black quarterback to open the season as a starter, and he said his roommate Briscoe was a critical mentor.“We used to talk a lot about the dos and don’ts and things that he had been through. He was telling me the things I needed to be prepared for,” Harris said. “I felt that Marlin was the only person on the team that understood what I was going through.”That included death threats, Briscoe said. “We had the race card on our careers because we were the first,” he said.Harris blossomed at QB. In 1974 LeSean McCoy Jerseys Stitched , he played for the Los Angeles Rams and became the first black quarterback to win an NFL playoff game. He also was Pro Bowl MVP that year.Briscoe said more work needs to be done both in the league and society. He has noticed that Colin Kaepernick has not been given a contract since his decision to kneel during “The Star Spangled Banner” to protest racial and social inequality. He believes President Donald Trump, an outspoken critic of Kaepernick, also bears some responsibility for some fans making racial comments toward black players, like a Texas superintendent who resigned last week after criticizing Houston Texans QB Deshaun Watson by saying black QBs can’t be trusted.After all these years, Briscoe still sees shades of his old struggles.“I grew up in the ’50s and the ’60s, when all that stuff was rampant, but you knew where you stood,” Briscoe said. “Today, you thought that all those attitudes were non-existent or filtered away to some degree, but with the Trump-isms, his philosophy has brought out of the woodwork that old-time thought process. That’s scary. It really is. It’s a scary situation.” Everything you need to know about the free agency period and its opening for 2019"WhiteFanposts Fanshots Sections NewsNotesOpinionAnalysisDiscussionPodcastNFL DraftSalary CapNFL Free Agency2019 Buffalo Bills free agencyNews2019 NFL free agency primer: dates, times, information to knowNew,12commentsEverything you need to know about the free agency period and its opening for 2019EDTShareTweetShareShare2019 NFL free agency primer: dates Youth Kyle Williams Jerseys , times, information to knowRich Barnes-USA TODAY SportsMonday, March 11, is the first major day for the 2019 NFL season, as it is the first day where our Buffalo Bills and the other 31 NFL clubs can begin to negotiate with players whose contracts expire at the conclusion of the 2018 league year. This is the start of a two-day window commonly known as the “legal tampering period” in the NFL. When does the 2018 year conclude? I’m glad you asked.On Wednesday, March 13, the 2018 league year will end at 4 p.m. Eastern time. The free agency period will officially open at that time, and a signing bonanza for all 32 teams should ensue. Any trades that have been negotiated and reported will become official, as well, since teams cannot file paperwork for trades until the start of the new league year. Another thing that happens on Wednesday by that 4 p.m. Eastern deadline is that all teams must officially submit offers, or tenders, to their exclusive-rights free agents (ERFAs) and restricted free agents (RFAs). Any player left without a tender from his team will officially become an unrestricted free agent. One last important matter of note: teams must be under the salary cap on Wednesday at 4 p.m. Eastern, as well. The salary cap applies to the “top-51,” or the 51 players with the highest salary cap number on each roster. For the Bills Kyle Williams Jerseys Stitched , this won’t be an issue, as they have plenty of cap space to work with heading into the 2019 season.Here is a breakdown of all the important dates and times to come this week, courtesy of NFL Ops.March 11-13: Legal tampering period begins at noon Eastern on Monday. Clubs may negotiate with the agents of players whose 2018 contracts are set to expire at 4 p.m. Eastern on Wednesday, March 13. March 13: Prior to 4 p.m. Eastern, clubs must exercise any options for 2019 on all players whose 2018 contract has an option clause for 2019. (EDIT: This excludes fifth-year options for first-round draft choices; those options may be exercised at any time prior to May 3)March 13: Prior to 4 p.m. Eastern, clubs must submit qualifying offers (AKA “tenders”) to restricted free agents (players with exactly three seasons of accrued free agency credit) with expiring 2018 contracts in order to retain right of first refusal rights through contract negotiations.March 13: Prior to 4 p.m. Eastern, clubs must submit minimum salary tender to all exclusive-rights free agents (players with fewer than three seasons of accrued free agency credit) with expiring 2018 contractsin order to retain exclusive negotiating rights with said players.March 13: All clubs must be under the 2019 salary cap as per the “top-51” rule by 4 p.m. Eastern.March 13: All 2018 player contracts set to expire will do so at 4 p.m. Eastern.March 13: The 2019 league year begins at 4 p.m. Eastern, as does the official signing period for 2019 free agents and the trading period for all clubs.