| Randolph Charlotin. 8th October, 2009 - 10:53 am
 NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell so strongly believes in protecting the league’s integrity that he gave himself power beyond state and national laws to determine the fate of the players in the league, even without a verdict.
If Goodell is to truly stand behind his ideal, then he should lead the front to prevent a group led by Dave Checketts and Rush Limbaugh to purchase the St. Louis Rams.
It was made public this week that Checketts, current owner of the NHL’s St. Louis Blues, and Limbaugh, a conservative talk radio host, are joining forces to purchase 60 percent of the Rams from team owner and chairman Chip Rosenbloom and his sister Lucia Rodriguez.
The Checketts-Limbaugh group isn’t alone, as there may be up to a dozen other groups interested in buying the Rams. Checketts and Limbaugh are the only group to express their interest publicly.
If Checketts and Limbaugh are potential buyers, they’d have to gain the approval of Rosenbloom and Rodriguez to sell their majority to them. After the Rams’ ownership’s blessing, Checketts-Limbaugh must be approved by the NFL owners by a three-fourths majority, which is 24 out of 32 votes.
If Goodell truly has the integrity of the league in mind, he won’t allow a group that has an association with Rush Limbaugh to own an NFL franchise.
In a sport where the demographics of the league is two-thirds African-American, having Limbaugh involved with a team on any level could lead to a racially divisive situation.
Limbaugh’s relationship with African Americans is already volatile. They hate the ultra-conservative right wing political critic because they believe Limbaugh is a bigot. There’s no hard evidence or statistics to prove the belief, but they reached the conclusion based on numerous statements made by Limbaugh that lead to the strong assumption.
There might not be a stronger indictment of Limbaugh than during his brief job as a commentator on ESPN’s NFL Countdown in 2003. When the analysts were discussing the high level of play by Philadelphia quarterback Donovan McNabb, one of a few black quarterbacks in the league at the time, Limbaugh said:
I think the media has been very desirous that a black quarterback do well. They’re interested in black coaches and black quarterbacks doing well. I think there’s a little hope invested in McNabb and he got a lot of credit for the performance of his team that he really didn’t deserve.
Limbaugh already had a reputation based on word of mouth. But this opinion was made on national television to millions of football fans, many that are minorities.
The ESPN array of analysts was in disbelief when they heard Limbaugh. Tom Jackson, a former linebacker, was so stunned by the comment, he was frozen in place. Days later, Limbaugh resigned, likely forced out by ESPN, as the other option was to be fired by the network.
One slip of the tongue doesn’t define an individual. Talk radio host Don Imus recovered from his “nappy-headed hoes” joke because he quickly apologized profusely for saying it. Limbaugh said the comment was directed at the media and not McNabb, but he didn’t apologize. Later on his radio show, Limbaugh said, “All this has become the tempest that it is because I must have been right about something.”
Author’s Note: I was alerted that three quotes attributed to Rush Limbaugh in the article were allegedly fabricated. The quotes in question are the slavery, James Earl Ray, and bone out your nose quotes. I researched the origin of the quotes with the help of a concerned reader. After tracking down the actual book, the footnote took me to this article at MediaMatters.org. Because these quotes are not in this article, I’ve concluded the quotes in question were made up. I apologize for using them.
I stand by my opinion that the NFL shouldn’t let Limbaugh buy into the league if the NFL insists on protecting the integrity of the league.
Not being remorseful for his ESPN statement puts Limbaugh in a dark light with African-Americans. That, along with his reputation makes it hard for Rush to recover from. But for those familiar with Limbaugh, they’ve already made up their mind about him:
I mean, 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 know who deserves a posthumous Medal of Honor? James Earl Ray [the confessed assassin of Martin Luther King]. We miss you, James. Godspeed.
Take that bone out of your nose and call me back (to an African American female caller).
While none of these statements definitively say Limbaugh is a bigot, where there’s smoke, there’s fire many conclude.
Limbaugh might actually be a good owner if he gets the chance. But as a controversial figure with a history of turning off a substantial portion of the fan population, a reaction to Limbaugh as co-owner is very possible.
Fans could rally to boycott the team, others could switch allegiance, and prominent organizations could organize protests. It could also affect the team on the field as many free agents might refuse to sign with a team that has Limbaugh in the front office.
The Checketts-Limbaugh group will gain favor from many because they want to keep the Rams in St. Louis. But accepting Checketts-Limbaugh into the ownership circle puts a pock mark on the league. It would be a mistake to allow the Checketts-Limbaugh group to become NFL owners as they could drag down the Rams because of Limbaugh’s reputation.
Protecting the league’s integrity starts with Goodell. Whether he uses his influence to sway owners or he makes the decision to reject all offers from Checketts and Limbaugh, regardless of how lucrative, Goodell needs to do what’s in the best interest of the NFL. There could be consequences to welcoming Checketts and Limbaugh to the ownership fraternity.
If Goodell believes Limbaugh qualifies to be an NFL owner, he should take a hard look at Limbaugh and ask himself an important question:
Look, let me put it to you this way: the NFL all too often looks like a game between the Bloods and the Crips without any weapons. There, I said it.
Is this someone you want owning one of the league’s teams?
Read more by Randolph Charlotin at his New England Patriots blog at . He can be reached at talktome@randolphc.com. |
