Limbaugh stands by McNabb race remarks

AP | 10/01/03 | ROB MAADDI

[kattracks]

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Rush Limbaugh insisted Wednesday he had "no racist intent whatsoever" in saying the media have overrated the Philadelphia Eagles' Donovan McNabb because they want to see a black quarterback succeed.

In fact, the conservative commentator said he must have been right; otherwise, the comments would not have sparked such outrage.

Limbaugh offered no apology, and McNabb said it was too late for one anyway.

"I'm sure he's not the only one that feels that way, but it's somewhat shocking to actually hear that on national TV," the NFL star said. "An apology would do no good because he obviously thought about it before he said it."

Before McNabb led the Eagles to a 23-13 victory over the Buffalo Bills on Sunday, Limbaugh said on ESPN's pregame show that he did not think McNabb was as good as he was perceived to be.

"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," Limbaugh said. "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."

Limbaugh did not back down during his syndicated radio talk show Wednesday.

He reiterated that he does not think McNabb is a bad player, just that he isn't as good as some members of the media think he is.

"This is such a mountain out of a molehill," he said. "There's no racism here, there's no racist intent whatsoever."

"All this has become the tempest that it is because I must have been right about something," he said. "If I wasn't right there wouldn't be this cacophony of outrage that has sprung up in the sports writer community."

On Wednesday, Democratic presidential candidate Wesley Clark said Limbaugh should be fired. The retired Army general called the remarks "hateful and ignorant speech."

The NFL disclaimed any responsibility for Limbaugh's remarks.

"ESPN knew what it was getting when they hired Rush Limbaugh," league vice president Joe Browne said. "ESPN selects its on-air talent, not the NFL."

ESPN spokesman Dave Nagle said he did not believe the comments were racially biased. "He was comparing McNabb's performance on the field to his reputation in the media," Nagle said.

Chris Berman, who anchors the ESPN show, said he did not believe Limbaugh's tone or intent was malicious. "As cut and dry as it seems in print, I didn't think so when it went by my ears," he said. "I probably should have looked to soften it."

McNabb, who was runner-up for the MVP award in 2000 and has led the Eagles to two straight conference championship games, said he has no quarrel with Limbaugh's comment on his playing ability. "I know I played badly the first two games," he said.

But McNabb said that the comments about his race were out of bounds and added that someone on the show should have taken Limbaugh on. Among the other panelists were former players Michael Irvin and Tom Jackson, both of whom are black.

"I'm not pointing at anyone but someone should have said it," McNabb said of the panelists, who also include Berman and Steve Young. "I wouldn't have cared if it was the cameraman."

A decade ago, there were few black quarterbacks in the NFL. This season, 10 of the 32 teams will have started black quarterbacks in at least one game.

Limbaugh has helped increase the ratings for "Sunday NFL Countdown." Nagle said ratings are up 10 percent overall. Sunday's show drew its biggest audience in the regular season since 1996.

Limbaugh is the radio host of the politically focused "Rush Limbaugh Show," which is syndicated in more than 650 markets worldwide.

[isthisnickcool]

This is really really disturbing. I haven't been so upset since I learned that pro-wresting was fake.

[Thebaddog]

Hey! If you want a black QB to really succeed, you put the him behind a really strong line, black or white. I really call it a failure of expectations of the linemen.

Look at the Bears. I rest my case.

[alisasny]

GO RUSH GO : ) as others have noted you just raised ESPN stock and deserve a huge raise : )

[anniegetyourgun]

Wow...it's been months since I've seen AP run a "strictly the facts" story like this. Will wonders never cease....

[Pikamax]

you could have the best line in the world and kordell will still suck.

[TankerKC]

Why the Wes Clark quote?

[swilhelm73]

So, saying McNabb is overrated is now racist? Or is the press trying to deny that they have been on campaign in recent years to demand more black coaches and QBs - irrespective of talent?

Doesn't anyone remember what happened when Mariucci (sp?) got his job???

[joesnuffy]

On Wednesday, Democratic presidential candidate Wesley Clark said Limbaugh should be fired. The retired Army general called the remarks "hateful and ignorant speech."

The General who earlier also stated that his idea of "faith based inititive" was Pure Science
and also sprang into his "Wizard of Oz" song that if he were kiiiiing of the foooorest" He would make it a priority to break the speed of light barrier so that he could go back in time.

Both Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson agreed that science needed also to do something about "gravity" jive... which had been holding his people down for a long time...

[wordsofearnest]

The look on Tom Jackson's face was priceless. You'd thought somebody had crapped in his lap.

[YaYa123]

What a broadcasting coup! Rush gets even non-sports fans talking about his new tv gig, which of course translates into even more Rush listeners.

Even better...he provokes Wesley Clark to make another stupid, stupid remark.

[Conservababe]

You're right. Everyone gets their underwear in a wad over Rush's comment on a black quarterback, while at the same time demanding interviews for black coaches.

[lady lawyer]

Good grief. This wasn't a racist statement. Rush simply said out loud what everybody knows -- there's a racial double standard in the media. Maybe the people doing it are well-intentioned, maybe not. But all he said was that McNabb was overrated, and maybe the racial double standards was the reason.

Why is that any more offensive than saying that McNabb is overrated?

This is like the people who wanted that poor teacher fired because she used the word "niggardly."

[Enterprise]

McNabb shouldn't expect an apology anyway. If you listen to any given sports talk radio, athletes are always being criticized. It comes with the territory.

[ambrose]

Rush Limbaugh did something he always (rightfully) accuses the libs of doing - injecting race into an argument.

I don't follow the NFL enough to know whether McNabb is any good or not, but that's beside the point, as is his race.

Rush committed a cardinal sin by injecting politics into sports. We didn't like it when Dennis Miller was injecting left-wing remarks when he was a football commentator (prior to Miller doing a 360 degree Arianna Huffington-like turn to the conservative side of the spectrum)...

Now, does that mean this story is worthy of headlines night and day? Hardly. But I guess it does tell you something about how many legs this "leak" story has, when something this trivial immediately pushes it off the front page.

[rintense]

Of course we just HAD to hear what Wesley Clark thought about all of this.

[jragan2001]

Gen. Wesley Clark REALLLLY has room to talk, doesn't he???
This coming from an idiot who should have been brought up
for a war crime tribunal for assisting in killing many
innocent Serbs during the Kosovo crisis back in 1997-1998.
Mr. Clark should shut his fat mouth and crawl back to
where the sun don't shine. He doesn't even rate to stand
in the same space as Rush Limbaugh.

[Enterprise]

The double standard of the media has been played again and again. A white media person or athlete, says something negative about blacks, and gets handed a pink slip. A black media person or athlete says something negative about whites, and it gets little coverage and there are no repercussions.

[JohnnyZ]

The sports writers are mad because Limbaugh was implying they base their views on racial considerations, which many do.

[Mr. Bird]

If someone had said (and I'm sure they did at the time) "The media has every hope that Annika Sorenstam does well in a men's tournament. It's a social issue as much as anything else. They've lowered the bar so that she, essentially, cannot fail as long as she finishes 36 holes. But, rated purely as a golfer, she is overrated compared to the men".

That is an honest and true statement, and would not be cause for any outrage. But because McNabb is black....