Sports Wally Triplett, the first Black draftee to play in the NFL, and a letter that changed everything February 28, 2021 Dana Hunsinger Benbow, Indianapolis Star Comments Off on Wally Triplett, the first Black draftee to play in the NFL, and a letter that changed everything When Miami rescinded a scholarship offer after learning Wally Triplett was Black, he kept that letter to remind him what people said he couldn't do.