Rush Got a Raw Deal

Rush Limbaugh got a raw deal.

Heaven forbid Rush should pursue happiness and use his hard earned money to become a minority owner of an NFL franchise. The liberal media shamelessly accused him of supporting slavery by using statements they either knew to be false or simply didn’t bother exercising due diligence to verify their veracity. I’m not sure who should be more ashamed. The liberal media or St. Louis Blues owner Dave Checketts, the man who asked Limbaugh to become part of his bid to purchase the St. Louis Rams, for caving in instead of coming to Rush’s defense. Rush should explore every legal avenue available to him to seek recompense from those in the liberal media who bore false witness against him and against Checketts for breach of contract. However, none of this changes the anything concerning Rush’s statements regarding Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb in 2003. He was wrong then and he is wrong now. To refresh everyone’s memory here is what he said during his brief tenure as a panelist on ESPN’s Sunday NFL Countdown in October 2003:

Sorry to say this, I don't think he's been that good from the get-go. 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. 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.

In his recent op-ed piece for The Wall Street Journal, Rush writes:

The sports media elicited comments from a handful of players, none of whom I can recall ever meeting. Among other things, at least one said he would never play for a team I was involved in given my racial views. My racial views? You mean, my belief in a colorblind society where every individual is treated as a precious human being without regard to his race? Where football players should earn as much as they can and keep as much as they can, regardless of race? Those controversial racial views?

But if Limbaugh does in fact believe in “a colorblind society” then why did Rush feel it necessary to bring McNabb’s race into the discussion concerning his on the field performance? Why bring it up at all? In the WSJ op-ed piece, Rush reasserts “the media was cheerleading Mr. McNabb because they wanted a successful black quarterback.” So who was cheerleading McNabb? Which sports columnists? Which TV sports commentators? Which bloggers? Rush has never produced a shred of evidence from either the print, broadcast or online media to support his claim. It’s not surprising because Rush’s claim is predicated on the premise there has never been a successful African-American quarterback in the NFL. Does the name Warren Moon mean anything to him? It should. I don’t know if Rush has been to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio but if he goes he will find Moon’s bust enshrined there. All Moon did in a stellar 16-year career with the Houston Oilers, Minnesota Vikings, Seattle Seahawks and the Kansas City Chiefs was rank third amongst all NFL quarterbacks in career pass completions and passing yards. Throw in nine Pro Bowl appearances and you have a successful quarterback. It is worth noting that Moon would have likely attained the number one ranking in these statistics had he not been left undrafted by the NFL despite a distinguished collegiate career at the University of Washington. Moon instead spent his early professional career with the Edmonton Eskimos of the Canadian Football League (CFL) and led them to five straight Grey Cups. Moon is the only player to be enshrined in both the Pro Football Hall of Fame and the CFL Hall of Fame. O.K., Moon doesn’t have a Super Bowl ring. But Doug Williams does. Perhaps Limbaugh missed Super Bowl XXII when the Washington Redskins crushed the Denver Broncos 42-10. All Williams did was set a Super Bowl record passing for four touchdowns and 340 yards easily outshining Broncos quarterback and future NFL Hall of Famer John Elway. Williams was named the MVP of Super Bowl XXII. Williams began his NFL career as the quarterback of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He would lead the Bucs to three playoff appearances in four seasons. After leaving the team in a contract dispute, Williams played in the United States Football League (USFL) for two seasons. After the USFL went bankrupt, Williams received a call from Redskins head coach Joe Gibbs to become the team’s backup quarterback. Gibbs had been the offensive coordinator with the Bucs during Williams’ tenure there. It was a shrewd move because starting quarterback Jay Schroeder was plagued with shoulder injuries and Williams was called upon to fill in the breach throughout the season and it paid off. Ask Gibbs if he thinks Williams was a successful NFL quarterback. When it comes to determining who is a successful quarterback, I’ll take Gibbs’ word over Rush’s. Then you have Randall Cunningham and the late Steve McNair. Would Cunningham have played in the NFL for 17 seasons if he wasn’t a successful quarterback? McNair literally came within a yard of winning a Super Bowl for the Tennessee Titans against the very team Rush was interested in owning. What about McNabb? Six years later he’s still the Eagles quarterback and has a Super Bowl appearance under his belt. Should Rush’s comments against McNabb disqualify him from owning an NFL franchise? Well, if free agents and draft picks won’t sign because they believe Rush looks at the color of their skin rather than their ability as a player then that is a legitimate concern. But Rush should have been allowed the opportunity to meet with the other NFL owners as well as any players who had reservations. It would have only been fair. Aaron Goldstein was a card carrying member of the socialist New Democratic Party of Canada (NDP). Since 09/11, Aaron has reconsidered his ideological inclinations and has become a Republican. Aaron lives and works in Boston.

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