IMO, Savage is a jerk. Rush's problem started when he didn't defend himself, not when he didn't defend Savage. I've often heard Rush talk about there being two schools of thought about reacting to attacks -- one being that you do nothing, the other that you face the attacks head on.
I've thought for a long time that the days of doing nothing (the idea being that the lies will die a quick death if you don't respond to them) have long been over. Reagan was good at ignoring attacks, and he was president at a time when ignoring them worked. Plus he had the bully pulpit.
I think Rush's deal with the NFL was destroyed in part because he did nothing when these lies first appeared. So they were just out there, waiting to come back to life at the appropriate time. And now all these reporters can say in their own defense, "But Rush never denied saying those things."
Reagan had the bully pulpit and used it. His attackers could never get the edge.