'I'm a former NFL star and Donald Trump's administration has banned my book'

Irish Daily Star

30-04-2025

Former NFL star Emmanuel Acho has slammed
the government
once more for "banning" his debut novel, "Uncomfortable Conversations with a Black Man," after it was
removed from the Naval Academy public library
.
The ex-linebacker-turned-author,
who previously dated actress Yvonne Anuli Orji
, has become a three-time New York Times best seller since hanging up his boots in 2015, following an injury ravaged career that includes spells with the
Cleveland Browns
and the
Philadelphia Eagles
. It all began in 2020 amid
the nationwide protests following George Floyd's murder
, when Acho launched a YouTube series - bearing the same name as his first book - answering
race
-related questions from white viewers.
Soon enough,
Oprah Winfrey
called and a
book
deal followed, with Acho releasing his debut novel on November 10, 2020. Approximately five-and-a-half years later, however, the 34-year-old had been informed that "Uncomfortable Conversations with a Black Man" had been abruptly banned by the
U.S. Naval Academy
.
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Taking to his
Instagram
account on April 6, Acho shared a video revealing the news, whereby he admitted his main concern was not the "hundreds of hours" he had "tediously and tirelessly" worked on his book, but rather the issue of living in "a society that is currently intentionally removing certain pieces of literature from our libraries."
A caption for the video had read: "Sad moment: My 1st New York Times best seller, Uncomfortable Conversations with a Black Man, has been banned and removed from the Naval Academy public library. If I may be vulnerable with y'all, this is heartbreaking, not because it's my book, but because I became an author based off books I read as a kid."
Shortly after, the U.S. Naval Academy confirmed that
it had removed 381 books from its library shelves
, targeting works tied to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). The purge,
ordered by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth
, follows
Donald Trump
-era
executive orders
banning DEI content in federal agencies.
The following week, Acho returned with further criticism of his book's ban,
sharing another video
of him speaking on his
social media
pages in which he said: 'Banning a book doesn't erase the pain. It doesn't erase the injustice… It just proves how uncomfortable the truth really is. And maybe that's the point.'
Many fans have since lent their support to Acho by buying his book in response to the U.S. Naval Academy's decision to ban it. "You're not just reading, you're resisting. You're not just supporting me, but more importantly, you're supporting truth, justice, and the power of a conversation,' said Acho in a heartfelt message.
However, there have been those who have criticised the former
NFL
player for claiming his book has been banned by the government, claiming that it was just removed by one library, rather than being removed as a whole. On Tuesday, Acho took the opportunity to hit back at those who have been doubting him.
It came after he had uploaded a clip of himself on X (formerly Twitter) discussing the issue of
Philadelphia
Eagles star
Jalen Hurts
skipping his team's
visit to the White House
on Monday. While Acho made it clear he had no issue with
the 26-year-old's decision to miss out
, he did with the racial slurs that have been directed his way as a result.
"However, as someone whose book about historical racial inequities has been banned by our government, I also believe Saquon must understand the repercussions," Acho added. In a follow-up tweet, he then said: "For those trying to correct me, the author, on my book being banned. Let me save you the trouble, I've written 4 books (3 NYT best sellers). My first book, 'Uncomfortable Conversations with a Black Man' has been banned by the Naval Academy public library."
Attached was a screenshot of a list of removed books from the Nimitz Library, where Acho's debut novel is quite clearly stated at number two. If it wasn't clear enough, then he even added a red arrow to make it perfectly clear exactly where it said his novel was no longer on the shelves of the institution.
Along with Acho's book, "How to Be an Antiracist" by Ibram X. Kendi, "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" by Maya Angelou, "White Rage" by Carol Anderson, and "Bodies in Doubt" by Elizabeth Reis have also been pulled from public access. According to the New York Times, Adolf Hitler's creed "Mein Kampf" remains on the shelf, as does "The Bell Curve".