Who was upset when Rush lost his ESPN job because of comments about Donovan McNabb?

[rinsd]

Poll question: Who was upset when Rush lost his ESPN job because of comments about Donovan McNabb?

Background on Rush:

Rush Limbaugh was hired to do a quick bit on ESPN's NFL pregame show when the various networks were looking outside of traditional player/coach type commentators (see Dennis Miller).

The comments referenced by Limbaugh came during Sunday's pregame show when the conservative talk show host offered the opinion that McNabb wasn't as good as the media perceived him 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."

Rush "resigned" shortly afterwards (I have no proof but I imagine he did so to avoid a public firing).

I want to have a discussion here about free speech, the 1st amendment and how we apply it.

First let's stop arguments by defining terms.

Free speech is just that completely free speech without consequence.

The 1st amendment protects one's free speech rights from being infringed upon by the government and even that has exceptions.

So please when you say either term make sure you are associating it correctly.

[islandmkl]

1. how'd you vote on imus?

[Cant trust em]

2. as long as he represents ESPN they have a right to fire him

I wouldn't want anyone to associate his racism with my T.V. station.

[rinsd]

3. Actually he resigned in the midst of the media storm.

I updated the OP to add more background info

[jobycom]

15. The story was that Tom Jackson told the brass that it was Rush or him

so they told Rush to resign or be fired.

[rinsd]

21. I figured.

[tularetom]

4. He wouldn't have been any worse on Monday Night Football than Dennis Miller

but I'm still glad he got shitcanned.

except it gave him that much more time to go to dominican Republic and diddle little boys.

[BuyingThyme]

5. Oh, was he doing comedy too?

[rinsd]

6. No. Michael Richards was though.

Didn't help him much.

[BuyingThyme]

7. Yeah, racist attacks will get you in hot water.

[Gato Moteado]

8. i wanted to see limbaugh and mcnabb in a cage match after that....

...it would have been so cool to watch mcnabb pop limbaugh's head like a big zit.

[rinsd]

11. Well all McNabb did was go the NFC champ game 4 times in a row.

He sucks!

And I say that as someone who despises the Eagles!

Berman should be forever shamed though by this

"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."

Chris Berman, who anchors the ESPN show, described himself as "a New England Democrat" but added, "I don't think Rush was malicious in intent or in tone.''

"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.

"We're sorry we upset a guy who got off to a rough start. We don't need to be in the middle of his travails.

"As the quarterback of the show, I feel bad about it. I don't think it was meant the way it came out. I don't think that defines the way Rush feels about people."

You could not be more wrong Chris "Hair Club for Men" Berman.

[Bjorn Against]

9. If Rush Limbaugh has the right to free airtime on television...

Then I have the right to free airtime on television. If he has the right to be an announcer for the NFL, then every single American has the right to be an announcer for the NFL. The right to free speech does not mean the right to be broadcast nationally.

That being said the FCC does have an obligation to provide for diverse viewpoints from many different outlets, and they are doing a piss poor job of that right now. Of course this criticism of the FCC does not apply so much to Rush, as he already is broadcast on hundreds of different radio stations across the US. There are many others however that are being denied access to the airwaves, and the real issue we need to tackle is media consolidation.

[MidwestTransplant]

10. Clever Freeper trap!

[rinsd]

12. Huh? What trap?

Some people are free speech absolutists and some are not.

The reason Rush was picked has to do with defending the rights of someone's views you hate vs someone's views you like.

[MidwestTransplant]

13. Free speech doesn't entitle you to use the public airwaves to spew hate.

That's not a 1st amendment right. No reason Disney should have to pay to provide him a forum. That said, Rush should be entitled to buy the airtime if he wants and spew his hate. Of course he already has a platform.

[rinsd]

14. While I would agree with you, some people feel differently.

[MidwestTransplant]

16. The 1st ammendment is pretty clear.

[JuniperLea]

17. The 1st Amendment doesn't cover...

People who are paid by other people to speak on a private radio station... or a private radio station's public function for that matter.

[MidwestTransplant]

18. Exactly

[JuniperLea]

19. Free speech covers what you have to say, your opinion...

Not where you say it.

You can't yell "fire" in a movie theater either. That's a "where you say it" deal too. I can stand at a fireworks show all night long and yell "fire" if I want to...

That's why crazy RW whackjob radio people can "cut the mic" or hang up on people... no free speech there eiter... it's their show, their prerogative.

[jobycom]

20. He was fired (er, resigned) for doing his job badly.

He was paid to add entertaining commentary on football. Instead he made an assinine comment that was both factually idiotic and racially divisive, forcing McNabb and everyone else to defend McNabb and the media on racial terms in a discussion that had nothing to do with race. Thus he failed to be entertaining, and he failed to provide good football commentary, so ESPN canned his dumb ass.

No free speech issue involved in any way. Rush had the absolute right to say what he did. He was not censored, he was not arrested or fined afterwards, the network was not punished. That's what the First Amendment guarantees--freedom from government oppression. Rush was totally free from oppression.

But that did not stop the free market from deciding that Rush was bad for the bottom line of the business that hired him, and releasing him.

[krawhitham]

22. I was just happy the fucker got fired from somewhere for any reason