Rush Limbaugh is getting more pushback in his purported bid to purchase the St. Louis Rams. The Commish, Roger Goodell, a good corporate man if there ever was one, didn't sound too enthusiastic about the possibility of the man with talent on loan from god being part of a group that buys its way into the National Football League.
As we recounted yesterday, several players and the head of the Players Association have already responded critically to the possibility of Limbaugh becoming part of the league.
Most of the articles written in the media in the past few days go back to Rush's previous brush with the league, when ESPN hired him as a commentator for the 2003 season. He lasted less than half a season after claiming that Philly QB Donovan McNabb was never really that good of a player, but more a wish fulfillment of "politically correct" white reporters.
But it shouldn't take others to observe that the NFL players — who are the game — are 65% black, and Limbaugh has made racially divisive statements about blacks his entire career. Who could forget his enthusiastic playing of the song "Barack, the Magic Negro" in 2008?
Indianapolis owner Jim Irsey said yesterday that he couldn't consider voting for Limbaugh. He remarked:
''When there are comments that have been made that are inappropriate, incendiary and insensitive … our words do damage, and it's something that we don't need.''
This article appears in Oct 8-14, 2009.