Unnecessary Roughness

Human Events ^ | 9/25/08 | D. R. Tucker

[MartinaMisc]

Barack Obama’s Spanish-language television ad distorting the meaning of old comments by talk-radio superstar Rush Limbaugh is objectionable, but even this ad isn’t as horrifying as the media assault Limbaugh was subjected to five years ago this month.

On September 28, 2003, Limbaugh—who had been hired by ESPN to provide a “fan’s perspective” for their Sunday NFL Countdown broadcast—discussed the Philadelphia Eagles’ anemic ’03 start with host Chris Berman and analysts Michael Irvin, Steve Young and Tom Jackson. The discussion quickly turned to Eagles’ quarterback Donovan McNabb’s perceived role in the team’s woes, and the media’s coverage thereof. Limbaugh asserted that he didn’t think McNabb “…[has] been that good from the get-go. I think what we've had here is a little social concern in the NFL. The media has been very desirous that a black quarterback do well. There is a little hope invested in McNabb, and he got a lot of credit for the performance of this team that he didn't deserve. The defense carried this team." Jackson disagreed with Limbaugh’s statement, but he did not seem to think it had any bigoted subtext.

The mainstream press disagreed, and launched an attack on Limbaugh that was faster and more furious than any Vin Diesel movie. The media firestorm resembled the outcry over former Interior Secretary James Watt’s strange remarks about the diversity of his staff exactly twenty years earlier: Al Sharpton, Howard Dean, Wesley Clark and Harold Ford all demanded that Limbaugh be forced off the show, while the NAACP forcefully condemned his statements. Sportswriters competed with themselves to come up with the strongest phrases possible to condemn Limbaugh. While he never backed away from his comments, Limbaugh ultimately decided that enough was enough, and announced his resignation from NFL Countdown on October 2.