Peyton Hillis says teams taunted him for being white running back

Cleveland Browns RB Peyton Hillis said Wednesday that he encountered taunting this season because of his skin color.

Hills became the first white running back to rush for 1,000 since Craig James in 1985.

 He told the Dan Patrick show (via the Canton Repository) that opposing teams trash-talked to him about his race on the field.

"Every team did it," he said. "They'll say, 'You white boy, you ain't gonna run on us today. This is ridiculous. Why are you giving offensive linemen the ball?'

"All kinds of stuff like that you hear on the field, but I use that to my advantage. I kind of soaked it in, ate it up a little bit, because I enjoyed it."

Hillis, acquired from the Denver Broncos last year, rushed for 1,177 yards for the Browns.

He told the Dan Patrick he's heard of nicknames others have created for him. Among them:

• "The Avalanche"
• "White Rhino"
• "Chuck Norris"

Hillis was primarily used as a fullback before joining the Browns. He credited former Cleveland coach Eric Mangini for giving him an opportunity.

"Coach Mangini came up to me before our first game, against the Buccaneers, and said he could see me being a 1,000-yard back," Hillis said.

"I never had a coach have that much confidence in me before. He helped me out a whole lot on a mental level."