Rush To Judgment: The Overreaction To Limbaugh’s Interest In The Rams

Conservative radio icon Rush Limbaugh is part of a team of investors that may buy the NFL franchise St. Louis Rams, and since the news broke the story has taken on a life of its own. Active players and the head of the NFL Players union are speaking out against the move, and cable news networks across the board are debating the possibility. But when push comes to shove, is all the uproar just hype? Last week Stephen A. Smith, formerly of ESPN, was asked by Ed Schultz on MSNBC about whether the owners would oblige a Limbaugh deal. "I don't think they would hesitate to do it quite honestly," he said. But what about the players who say they wouldn't play for him? "They are lying through their teeth, I don't care what they say," said Smith. "Money talks louder than anything else, especially when it comes to the players." One of those players, Mathias Kiwanuka of the New York Giants, phrased his opposition this way: I don't want anything to do with a team that he has any part of. He can do whatever he wants, it is a free country. But if it goes through, I can tell you where I am not going to play. I am not going to draw a conclusion from a person off of one comment, but when it is time after time after time and there's a consistent pattern of disrespect and just a complete misunderstanding of an entire culture that I am a part of, I can't respect him as a man. NFL Players exec director DeMaurice Smith's email Saturday to the union's executive committee highlighted his point of contention, while urging the players to continue to speak out. "Sport in America is at its best when it unifies, gives all of us reason to cheer, and when it transcends," he wrote. "Our sport does exactly that when it overcomes division and rejects discrimination and hatred." Then this happened - today, Rev. Al Sharpton sent a letter to NFL commissioner Roger Goodell hoping he blocks the bid. >>> Next Page: What does PTI think, and videos. But will Limbaugh's controversial comments stop a deal from going through (if it gets to that far). As Michael Wilbon said on ESPN's Pardon The Interruption when the news first broke, "In a half second." It's about money - something Limbaugh himself understands better than anyone. If he has the capital, and can pay the players more than another team, the controversy surrounding him will be forgotten in many cases. That doesn't mean there won't be a bumpy path along the way. After players started speaking out, Wilbon revised his initial assessment a bit. "He is universally reviled by black people in this country, and justifiably so," he said a couple days later (video on next page). "I think this uprising is interesting." His co-host, Tony Kornheiser, added, "I don't know how widespread it is for this reason: there's only one National Football League." And Limbaugh continued: "The silence that was there in the 80s and 90s - there's a roar now." That may be true, but is it enough to stop a bid, and a buy. Kornheiser and Wilbon joked Limbaugh would be welcomed with open arms by players in the Rams locker room if he was the owner, and treated the players well, and we may see that in the coming years. The opposition to Limbaugh has some compelling talking points (here's a list of 10), but when push comes to shove, dollar signs may win out. There may be a few players who would protest the team, and refuse to play for a Limbaugh-owned team - and that would be a few more players than have ever protested a controversial owner in the past. But unless there is a mass uprising, El Rushbo's bid to be an NFL owner may come to fruition. >>> NEXT PAGE: See MSNBC and ESPN's segments on Limbaugh. Here's Smith's comments from MSNBC last week, and the PTI segment below: Kornheiser and Wilbon debate Limbaugh as an owner: And later, discuss the player's opposition to him: ----- » Follow Steve Krakauer on Twitter

Rush To Judgment: The Overreaction To Limbaugh’s Interest In The Rams

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Rush To Judgment: The Overreaction To Limbaugh’s Interest In The Rams

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