(Al Sharpton To NFL: "No Rush!")
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Sharpton-Jackson attack Limbaugh’s Rams bid
The Revs. Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson attacked the bid by Rush Limbaugh to buy the St. Louis Rams on Monday, saying the conservative radio host’s track record on race should exclude him from owning an NFL team.
Sharpton sent a letter to NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, arguing that Limbaugh has been divisive and “anti-NFL” in some of his comments.
Jackson said in a telephone interview that Limbaugh had made his wealth “appealing to the fears of whites” with an unending line of insults against blacks and other minorities.
“The National Football League has set high standards for racial justice and inclusion,” Jackson said. “He should not have the privilege of owning an NFL franchise — and it is a privilege.” The Civil Rights leader said he’s had contact with numerous players and ex-players concerned about the bid.
Limbaugh shot back at Sharpton on his radio show.
“Now, this saddens me as well this disappoints me,” he said. “I know Rev. Sharpton. Sharpton is better than this. He knows better than this. You know, I didn’t judge Al Sharpton’s fitness to be in radio when he wanted to earn an honest living for once, given his well-documented past as the author of the Tawana Brawley hoax. I believe in freedom and I also don’t discriminate.”
Limbaugh said last week that he is teaming up with St. Louis Blues hockey team owner Dave Checketts in a bid to buy the Rams. He has declined to discuss details of the offer, citing a confidentiality agreement.
In 2003, Limbaugh worked briefly on ESPN’s NFL pregame show. He resigned after saying Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb was overrated because the media wanted to see a black quarterback succeed.
Transcripts posted on the radio host’s Web site also say that on a January 2007 show, Limbaugh commented: “The NFL all too often looks like a game between the Bloods and the Crips without any weapons. There, I said it.”
Asked about Limbaugh’s bid to purchase the winless Rams, McNabb said: “If he’s rewarded to buy them, congratulations to him. But I won’t be in St. Louis any time soon.”
NFL spokesman Greg Aiello said the league is aware of the concerns voiced by Sharpton and Jackson.
“It is very early in the process and no transfer of ownership of the Rams has been presented to the league for review,” Aiello said.
The latest complaints came a day after executive director of the NFL Players Association, DeMaurice Smith, urged players to speak out against Limbaugh’s bid.
“I have asked our players to embrace their roles not only in the game of football but also as players and partners in the business of the NFL,” Smith said in a statement Sunday. “They risk everything to play this game, they understand that risk and they live with that risk and its consequences for the rest of their life.
“We also know that there is an ugly part of history and we will not risk going backwards, giving up giving in or lying down to it.”
Players on the 0-5 Rams, who were routed by the Minnesota Vikings 38-10 on Sunday, tried to distance themselves from the controversy.
“I’m paying attention, but I’m not even touching that one,” running back Steven Jackson said. “Because if I start touching it I might go somewhere I don’t want to go.”
Defensive end Chris Long said he just heard Monday that Limbaugh was part of a group seeking to purchase the team. His reaction: “Oh, is that the guy on the radio?”
Reminded of Limbaugh’s statements about McNabb, Long seemed to disapprove while adding he didn’t care who owned the team.
“I mean, those weren’t great comments at all,” Long said. “But it’s not my job to really comment on that.”
Defensive end Leonard Little, the last remaining player from the Rams’ Super Bowl championship after the 1999 season, didn’t want to talk about it.
“We’ve got a lot more things to worry about than who’s going to be our owner,” he said.
Goodell should say no to Limbaugh
It's a publicity stunt Roger Goodell should've shut down within minutes of its launch.
Rush Limbaugh as NFL owner is an unfunny joke. But the kingpin of talk radio counted on the sarcasm to fly over most of our heads and for television executives to ignore the absurdity and milk the controversy for ratings.
What he didn't know is how the NFL commissioner would react.
Well, now we have our disappointing answer. Given an opportunity to add equal-opportunity credibility to his clean-up-the-image-of-the-league campaign, Goodell has stood motionless on a busy airport runway.
And here come the Left Brothers — Al "747" Sharpton and Jesse "DC 10" Jackson — barreling in for a landing on top of Goodell's dome. And this time every black person with an ounce of common sense and self-respect is riding shotgun with Jesse and Al, who have justifiably voiced their displeasure with Limbaugh's ownership bid.
I'm not mad at Limbaugh. He expresses no shame to the game he's been running for two decades. He's an opportunistic, race-baiting, anti-black entertainer. The popularity of the gangsta element of hip-hop music culture has allowed Limbaugh to proudly claim that his form of entertainment is mainstream.
I'd say we're less than 24 hours from Limbaugh playing the Jay-Z card. Brother Jay owns a piece of the New Jersey Nets and has a library of rap tunes spewing the same kind of black-degrading lyrics, phrases and stereotypes that have made Limbaugh rich enough to buy a chunk of the St. Louis Rams.
This is a brilliant publicity stunt. After taking down challenger Sean Hannity during the election season, Limbaugh is now in an ultimate fight with Glenn Beck for the prestigious and lucrative crown of right-wing racial divider.
Having failed as an NFL commentator, Limbaugh understands the power of football. He realized announcing his intention to buy the Rams would feed the sports and political talk-show monsters. He figured if things hit just right, he might land the cover of Sports Illustrated and ESPN The Magazine.
He never had a doubt that he'd smoke out Al Sharpton.
I spent last week and this weekend dodging this issue. People asked me via e-mail and Facebook if I had an opinion, and I declined to comment. My boss at FOXSports.com begged me to write a column, and I told him I had nothing to add to the discussion.
I didn't want to play Limbaugh's game. This is a (freaking) publicity stunt. I assumed that Goodell would quickly put an end to this lunacy.
In the name of improving the image of the NFL, Goodell has smacked every black and white player who has crossed paths with law enforcement.
Rush Limbaugh would be devastating to the NFL brand. Just as it has in the past seven days, his style of racial politics would upset employees and take attention away from the games.
This is the major difference between Rush and Jay-Z. Beyonce's boyfriend raps a bunch of dumb, racist, sexist (spit) but serious people don't take Jay-Z or his music seriously. Jay's expression of self-hatred does not bother NBA players, NBA fans or remotely overshadow what transpires on the court.
That would not be the case for Limbaugh. He would be a nightmare. He would make Marge Schott seem like Jimmy Carter, Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X rolled into one package.
Here are two quotes from the best-of Rush Limbaugh racist collection:
"You know who deserves a posthumous Medal of Honor? James Earl Ray (Dr. King's assassin). We miss you, James. Godspeed."
And ...
"Let's face it, we didn't have slavery in this country for over 100 years because it was a bad thing. Quite the opposite: Slavery built the South. I'm not saying we should bring it back. I'm just saying it had its merits. For one thing, the streets were safer after dark."
You can argue the comments are presented out of context and were meant as jokes. Then I'd argue that Limbaugh needs to get on the comedy-club circuit and out of the business of attempting to influence presidential politics. Limbaugh wants to be taken seriously.
OK, let me bring Goodell's hypocrisy all the way home.
Do you think Goodell would allow Michael Vick to go on radio and crack jokes about dogs?
"Let's face it, I didn't dogfight for several years because it was a bad thing. Quite the opposite: We made a lot of money with Bad Newz Kennels. I'm not saying I'd do it again. I'm just saying it had its merits. For one thing, there was a lot less dog poop on the streets."
If Michael Vick said those words on radio, Goodell would rebuke Vick's comments within minutes and kick him out of the NFL within 24 hours.
We all know the atrocities of human slavery. Can an NFL owner with 30 to 40 black players and a 10 percent black fan base make a living cracking jokes about the abuse and torture of black people?
It's unfortunate and troubling that Roger Goodell needs time to think about this.
I wish I could say it's surprising. It's always easiest to castigate, penalize and shun the people outside your group. Goodell primarily represents a consortium of rich white men who apparently can't quite muster the courage to stand up to one of their own.
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Sources: MSNBC, NBC Sports, MSN Fox Sports, NY Daily News, Seattle Times, BBC, Baltimore Suns, Footblog, Google Maps
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