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.
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