Eritrean-American Nat Berhe Says NYPost Misquoted him on Ethiopia

Nat Berhe (center) and his father,  Berhe Asfaha (left), attending Tam Berhe's (his older brother) graduation - 15 May 2014

Eritrean-American Nat Berhe Says NYPost Misquoted him on Ethiopia


When the the New York Giants drafted Nat Berhe, Eritreans were excited and proud to see a confident young man who is proud of his Eritrean-American roots make it to the NFL. However, after the New York Post published an article about Berhe, which quoted him saying some controversial things about his origin, some Eritreans didn't know what to make of it. Berhe allegedly said:

“I’ll be the first Ethiopian player to play in the National Football League,” said Berhe (pronounced Bur-HEY). “That’s huge for me and huge for my family and huge for the people in Ethiopia. It’s a big feat. Not a lot of people from East Africa are in the National Football League. I look at it all the same, Ethiopia, Eritrea, it’s all the same, just different name.”

The quote left Eritreans a bit disappointed and puzzled. The title says he's the first Eritrean to be in the NFL, yet the article contradicts the title by quoting him as saying he's the first Ethiopian. Even more troubling, the alleged quote about Ethiopia and Eritrea being the "same", just different names didn't sit too well with Eritreans. Annoyed by the quote, many young Eritreans took to Twitter to make their voices heard.

The most offensive thing to say to an Eritrean is Eritrea and Ethiopia are the same..Its disrespectful on all levels!
— Filmon Zerai (@EritreaStruggle) May 19, 2014

Eritrea is NOT Ethiopia. Can we have our own identity or what?
— Saally (@therealsaally) May 19, 2014

But was that what Berhe really said? 

According to Berhe, who responded to a private Facebook query of Seble Ephrem from London, this was a misquote. He said:

"I said I was Eritrean because I am. I said the support I've gotten from East Africans generally and Eritreans specifically has been great. That was it."

Berhe also took to Twitter to add:

I recently did an interview with the NY Post where I was misquoted as saying I was "the first Ethiopian NFL player." I am half Eritrean and
— Nat Berhe (@NatBerhe) May 21, 2014

African American. Additionally, I was trying to convey that the support I've gotten from Ethiopians, Eritreans and Africans generally has
— Nat Berhe (@NatBerhe) May 21, 2014

His older brother, Tam Berhe, who recently graduated from law school, says it was a misquote, too. He says his brother didn't say Eritreans and Ethiopians are the same, rather "he meant the support is the same." And when asked about the claim that Berhe allegedly said he was an Ethiopian to the reporter, he explained "he was obviously misquoted."

To be fair, Berhe has been vocal about his Eritrean-American identity, which supports his and his brother's claim that it was a misquote on the reporters part. Misquotes do happen in the media more often than we think, particularly when the subject is about countries most Americans have limited knowledge on.

At any rate, this incident should serve as a reminder that not everything we read or see in the media is true. It should also serve as a reminder that we shouldn't rush to judgement or criticize people based on a quote, especially when it contradicts their actions. As the old adage goes, actions always speak louder than words, even misquoted ones.

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Follow his big brother Tam Berhe on Twitter and show him support

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