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.

[Tacis]

The ultra-left wing screams for affirmative action to provide opportunities for those who might not otherwise have been selected. We give blacks "extra credit" because they are black so that they will be included. But, when a white person mentions that a black's success is based in part, on his blackness, the lefties scream about that. This is the height of hypocracy by black racist thugs and their running dog liberals in the ultra-left wing media.

[cincinnati65]

Love the headline. How many times does Rush have to say that he did not make a statement about McNabb's race, but of the media's interest in his race as a reason to enhance his on-field prowess? His statement was a condemnation of the media for their treatment of McNabb, not McNabb's performance.

[JohnnyZ]

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

Rush was arguing that OTHERS had previously injected race into the argument and thus overrated McNabb.

[Whispering Smith]

"Look at that monkey go" got Howard Cossell. Something to do with "build" got Jimmy the Greek. Something to do with a 1948 election got Trent Lott. Let's see if Rush survives. If past is prologue, it doesn't look good.

[haywoodwebb]

Kordell = Deer in headlights!

I happen to be black**   so don't call me racist!

**Not that there's anything wrong with that  ;-D

[MuchoMacho]

i don't like clark that much either, but c'mon. his politics are squishy, but he served his country and took a bullet, which is more than you can say for rush.

[cincinnati65]

As I said on another thread, Chris Chandler, Trent Green, and Brad Johnson have higher career quarterback ratings than McNabb, and I'm not sure that anyone thinks any of them are shoo-ins for the Hall of Fame.

[blackdog]

If you want a black QB to win without an offensive line, ask for tips from Randell Cunningham. He moved in that backfield like he was robbing the local ATM, ripping off the corner crack dealer, or running a race with fried chicken at the finish.

Two weeks ago I heard Chris Collinsworth refer to Warren Sapp as a "reminder of his African Safari trip last summer. Sapp looking like a jaguar stalking and running down a meal on the African plaines." I kid you not!

I was waiting for the PC crowd to go nuts over the racist comment, but nothing came of it.

[sam_paine]

(prior to Miller doing a 360 degree Arianna Huffington-like turn to the conservative side of the spectrum)...

I thought I was the only one with a memory that long!!! Seemed like EVERYONE had forgotten his SNL days.

[Greg Luzinski]

From the archives, largely on topic:

January 11, 2003 (Open Line Friday)

Rush: To Rose Valley, Pennsylvania, this is Adam. Adam, hi, welcome and great to have you with us.

Adam: Thank you, Rush. And don’t forget to play “Hold On” in honor of the Atlanta Falcons’ offensive and defensive lines. [Rush laughs audibly.] Now Rush, I called you a few months ago to get on your case about something, when you put Tom Daschle’s face on Tom Brady’s body, and we’ve gone through that …

Rush: Oh yeah

Adam: … and they’re out of the playoffs now. But, you know, I voted for Bush, and I always agree with everything you say, but you’re just wrong about something here. I mean, you’re not giving the Eagles any respect once again, and your friend [“The Hutch,” a former Cowboys player friend of his whom was on the show in the previous half hour, among other things predicting the Falcons would beat the Eagles in the playoffs] didn’t. And they’re being underestimated, just as the Republicans were on November 5.

Rush: You know, this is … I have to say something about this because you, you’re the second guy who’s mentioned this. I got an e-mail note from a guy, I made a comment earlier this week talking about the Eagles, in which I said I just don’t trust a football team that has such dependence on the quarterback for everything. And the guy wrote back, and he was right. He said “What do you mean dependence on the quarterback? They put in their second-string guy, they win. They put in their third-string guy, they win. What do you mean? McNabb’s been out since the middle of November. They still won.”

And that’s a good point. You know, what I respond to, and I must confess, this is affecting me with the Eagles: Every year the sports media picks somebody to profile seemingly every week. One year, it’s Keyshawn Johnson. The next year, it’s Junior Seau. The next year, it’s Warren Sapp. Well, no, every year, it’s Warren Sapp. This year, it’s been Donovan McNabb. Donovan McNabb this. Donovan McNabb that. There are, as the Hutch said, ten other guys on that offense, and you never hear about them …

Adam: yeah, I mean …

Rush: … it kind of, no, look, Andy Reid, I have to tell you this, you talk about respect, I think Andy Reid is one of the most smart, one of the smartest coaches, patient coaches in the league. He’s not flamboyant. He doesn’t toot his own horn. I have a lot of respect for him. He’s from the old Mike Holmgren Green Bay days, with Mariucci and all that.
But you’re right. The Eagles, there’s no doubting their class. There’s no doubting they’re a great football team. I just have, it’s sort of like, when the media goes ga-ga, ga-ga, ga-ga over a team, I just have this natural reaction to oppose it, simply because I don’t believe in going ga-ga over anything.

Adam: Well, first of all, Michael Vick, I’m sorry Mike Vick, has received more attention than McNabb this year. That may be because of McNabb’s injuries, but he’s certainly more overrated. And let’s keep in mind that, no matter how much he dances around and how much something is shown on SportsCenter, a 15-yard gain is a 15-yard gain, and that’s often what he gets. And a screen pass to Duce Staley may not look as much, look as beautiful, but it’s get the same thing accomplished. He throws about 130 yards a game, and yet the media is going ga-ga off …

Rush: Noooo …

Adam: … well, he did last week.

Rush: 154 yards is his average. He throws 154 yards average a game. But, you know, the thing … My wife has a good point about Vick. I’m so lucky to have a wife who loves football.

Adam: You are.

Rush: You don’t know … She said, after watching the Green Bay game … she said “You know, I have a bad feeling about the Falcons down the line. Not this year so much.”

She said, “After a while, the offensive line for the Falcons is gonna figure, ‘This guy, their quarterback, can escape anything. So why even block? Why even go to work? This quarterback can get out of all kinds of jams; they can’t tackle him. So what the hell?’”

Now, that’s, I would have never thought of that. But if you do go to the line and you’re confident that you’ve got this superman back there who can escape anything, who cares if you miss a block now and then. Who knows? It could be …

Adam: Well …

Rush: I don’t know, but, to me, it was something interesting to think about. I know what you’re saying, all this press attention Vick gets, and the reason is because, in terms of being an athlete, there’s nobody like him in the NFL.

Adam: Oh, he’s great. No doubt, no doubt.

Rush: … literally nobody like him. Vick is what they say about McNabb, if you ask me. McNabb runs in slow motion compared to Vick. Not to put McNabb down, don’t misunderstand, but they both deserve attention. I think the Falcons match up well with them, I just do.

Adam: Well, let’s keep in mind that, give credit to Vick. Brian Finneran and Shawn Jefferson are not exactly Charlie Joiner, John Jefferson and Kellen Winslow there. So they have to protect a little more, and that’s often why he has to run. Most teams have a lot more adequate receivers.

Rush: Yeah, that’s true, that’s true.

Adam: Rush, I wanted to ask …

Rush: Quickly. One more point, then I gotta go.

Adam: I want to read a little poem.

Fans have nothing to fear in South Philly.
Vick and his crew will look just silly.
We’ll be screaming in delight
When we shut ‘em down Saturday night
In weather entirely too chilly.

Rush: Well, it’s not going to be that bad. It’s gonna be 27 degrees. There’s no precip. But, that’s really great, associating poetry with a team you think is going to the Super Bowl, the Philadelphia Eagles.

The fans in Philly have got to be a little embarrassed, oh my god, our guy calls and starts reading a poem. Who is he? Edna St. Vincent Millay? And who is her team?

Anyway, nah, I’m just kidding. Adam, thanks much.

[babble-on]

its still a pretty nasty thing for Rush to say. Why not simply say he's overrated and explain why he think that. Why assert a totally unprovable impression as to WHY he's overrated. I mean he IS a pretty good quarterback, after all, and a pretty decent guy who brings soup to people with his mom right out of the blue.

[Babalu]

You are so correct. For proof, I submit two words: Tiger Woods.

Tiger can hardly be considered overrated, but nobody with an ounce of intellectual honesty can deny that the media (and his father) annointed him before he ever played a single round of golf as a professional. Lately, Tiger has not been quite up to par (pardon the pun), and predictably, the same pundits who crowned him are beside themselves mumbling about his "slump".

[McBuff]

My Prediction: McNabe has a huge day against my Skins on Sunday.

Thanks, Rush!

[blackdog]

You forgot the breeding them bucks for muscle comment from Jimmy. The extra bone in their foot makes em jump higher too.......I forget who that one was?

[alancarp]

Rush's comments about McNabb really spoke about the translation when going from the college game to the pros: in college, a great athlete at QB can run a defense silly. But in the NFL, EVERYBODY on defense is a great athlete and can run down even the athletic running QB [well, okay: except Michael Vick].

McNabb had high expectations coming out of Syracuse, and the more so going to a market like Philly. He seemed to be living up to that hype since the team had been winning, but yeah - Rush is right - the defense had done much of the work, particularly last year.

But then he went further and suggested that sports writers were hoping to see him succeed due to his race, perhaps hyping McNabb too much in the process. I would like to have seen Rush cite a few articles or columnists to back up that point, for the kind of writers who MIGHT do that are not typically your sports beat guys....(hmmm, except maybe in the Northeast, I'll concede)

In other words, Rush, you indicted the media, and accused them of tacit racism: now show me your evidence, for you rightly demand the same of those accuse you of such things.

[Nonstatist]

I haven't been so upset since I learned that pro-wresting was fake

WHAT ARE YOU SAYING ?!?

[alancarp]

Al Campanis, then of the L.A. Dodgers front office.

[stylin19a]

WHAT ??????????? Pro wrestling is fake ?

[headsonpikes]

In any event, no matter who's prejudiced, we old-time fans of the CFL's Eskimos would like to thank you all for our years of cheering QB Warren Moon, back in the '80s. ;^)

[alancarp]

Yeah - that was already a tricky game to pick this week. But now....