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BOSTON -- From his den in Huntsville, Alabama, Onree Jackson will quietly root to see Jacoby Brissett under center when he watches New England host Houston on Thursday night.Almost 50 years have passed, but Jackson still remembers his excitement when he was drafted out of Alabama A&M in 1969 by the Boston Patriots -- the franchises first black quarterback.Back then, the team hailed his potential to be the Willie Mays of pro football. But he never played in a regular-season NFL game.Now, Brissett could establish a footnote for a franchise born in a city with a complicated racial past, its first African-American player to start at quarterback. While the Patriots have been racially progressive in other ways, the New York Giants are the only other NFL team to have never started an African-American quarterback.Brissetts opportunity comes because of two unusual factors. Tom Brady, the teams cornerstone, is suspended four games for his role in using underinflated footballs in the playoffs in 2015. And Bradys backup, Jimmy Garoppolo, has a shoulder injury and is listed as doubtful for Thursday.While none have started a regular-season game, the Patriots have drafted eight African-American quarterbacks. Michael Bishop played the most, appearing in eight games in 2000.The potential distinction shows how much things have changed in 50 years.When I got there, there was a baseball player with the Red Sox and he said in the paper, `You know theyre not going to have an N-word quarterback here in Boston, Jackson, 69, recalled in an interview with The Associated Press.It was funny to him, I think, because they had a picture of him laughing in the papers, Jackson said. I had a shot, and I didnt make it under their rules.Bostons professional teams -- like the citys neighborhoods -- had different reactions to the civil rights movement and the integration of professional sports.While the Celtics and Bruins broke barriers in pro basketball and hockey, the Red Sox were the last Major League Baseball team to field a black player. Pumpsie Green took the field at Fenway Park in 1959 -- more than a decade after Jackie Robinson played for the Dodgers and even after Willie ORee took the ice for Boston in the all-white NHL. The Red Sox gave both Robinson and Mays tryouts in the 1940s before opting not to sign them.Meanwhile, the Patriots neither led nor trailed the pack on such issues.Jackson was drafted by Rommie Loudd, the AFLs first black assistant coach before he joined the Patriots in 1966. He moved to the teams front office and became its personnel director in 1969, one of the first black personnel directors in the NFL.Jackson said he thought everything was fine until he drew consistent ire from then-coach Clive Rush, who told Jackson: Joe wouldnt do that.He was talking about Namath, Jackson said. Me being who I am, and where I was from and all, I just accepted that and went on.Jackson was waived after a few months. Rush told the Frederick Daily Leader at the time that Jackson was behind three other quarterbacks.As Ive grown older, I can see little signs that said, `You arent going to make it because youre a black quarterback. Thats the way I interpreted it, anyway, Jackson said.Rush was fired after a losing season in 1969 and 1-6 start in 1970.New England has never had a black head coach. Romeo Crennel, now defensive coordinator in Houston, held that job in New England before he was head coach in Cleveland and Kansas City. Bobby Grier, who is black, was an assistant coach with the Patriots who rose to be vice president of player personnel from 1997-2000.Richard Johnson, curator of the Boston Sports Museum, said while the quarterback milestone would be unintentional, there has never been talk of race influencing the Pats personnel decisions.Under Bill Belichick, the best player has always played, Johnson said.Richard Lapchick, who has pushed for diversity across college and professional sports from The Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sports, said the Patriots under owner Robert Kraft have consistently pushed for inclusion in several ways.They were working in the community on gender violence prevention in the early 1990s, 20 years before Ray Rice or even before O.J., Lapchick said.The Patriots were also one of the first teams to help NFL players finish their degrees.Josh Johnson, who is black and one of three Giants quarterbacks, was surprised when told his team could be the last to cross this particular racial benchmark.It shows progress, he said. Thats all you want to see, progress. Good luck to (Brissett), I hope he goes out and takes advantage of it. Opportunities come far and few.Though it didnt work out for Jackson, he said hes proud to have played a part toward seeing a day when no one notices who is or isnt under center.Its a pride thing now, he said. Im proud of what happened. Though I didnt make it, it was kind of a foot in the door type-thing.---This story has been corrected to show that Michael Bishop, not Rohan Davey, has played the most games for the Patriots as an African-American quarterback.---AP Sports Writers Jimmy Golen in Boston and Tom Canavan in East Rutherford, New Jersey, contributed to this report.---Follow Kyle Hightower on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/khightower DeMarcus Ware Womens Jersey . Paul Pierce couldnt believe he missed at the end. 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The Southeast Asian qualifier had bested Fnatic and Mineski on their way to a qualifier spot, but were underplayed and overlooked.Heads started turning in the group stage though, when this scrappy team beat defending International champs Wings Gaming 2-1 to open the Boston Major. WGU came out of the group the third seed, but had dealt a blow to Wings, and after beating Complexity in the first round of the main bracket, are now guaranteed a top 8 finish at the teams first majors appearance.Five-role support Yap xNova Jian Wei described his team as very excited to be in the top 8 in Boston.Very excited, said Wei. Very excited, and we are happy with our results.At the time, the team was waiting for the results of OG vs. MVP Phoenix, which would determine his teams round-of-eight opponent. Wei said the team preferred to face MVP Phoenix; being from the same region, Unity had more experience playing MVP and would know their strategies better. OG succeeded though, a team that WGU is a little more wary to face.It would be tough, I think, said Wei of facing OG. We would still try our best.Expanding on a choice between a familiar opponent or the European powerhouse of OG, Warriors Gaming Unity coach Beh Kok Wang highlighted the trouble teams like Warriors Gaming Unity faces in large international tournaments like the Boston Major.We have played [MVP] so many times, so we know them better than OG, obviously, said Wang. This is the first time weve been outside of Southeast Asia or China, and this is the first time weve met OG, to play them.Smaller teams from regions like Southeast Asia often dont have the chance to scrim or compete in interregional tournaments, for reasons ranging from distance to lack of infrastructure to support the teams. Wang says many teams in Southeast Asia dont have the resources to travel to other countries to scrim and train. The hope is that, as SEA teams continue to perform well at tournaments, larger sponsors will find their way into the region and help reinforce the Dota scene there.ddddddddddddFor Warriors Gaming Unity, though, Boston has been about getting that travel and training, in one of the most high-pressure situations possible.So far [the major] has been a really good experience,said Wang. We have learned a lot, about how [other teams] play.Opponents here are much stronger, Wei told ESPN. And youve got all the top teams here, compared to the teams in our region.When considering the possibility of making a run at the Eaglesong trophy, both coach and player have aspirations, but keep expectations in check.There is a chance, of course, but we still believe in miracles sometimes, right? said Wang. Theres a chance, but a slight chance. We try our best anyway, because for us theres nothing to lose. We came in as an underdog, so nothing to lose, and if we win its a bonus.The underdogs of Unity have certainly made the most of their time in Boston. Though the weather is a bit colder than the team might have expected, and food has been an interesting experience (We can still go to Chinatown, jokes Wang about American eating options), WGU appreciates the opportunity given to them advancing this far in a major. Wei has especially taken advantage to get some time watching games from his favorite player in Dota 2, Virtus.Pros Ilya Lil Ilyuk.As a support, he impacts the game a lot, said Wei. He led the team, brought it together and made a top team in CIS.When thinking about the future, towards the distant but ever-looming International, hopes are there but kept in measure. Warriors Gaming Unity will likely be competing with the other talented teams, like Team Faceless, a reforged Fnatic and MVP Phoenix to earn a spot at the tournament.We havent planned that far yet, said Wang. Well just start with the Spring Major first. ' ' '