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American Morning
Limbaugh Taking No-Holds Barred Approach in New Football Gig
Aired October 01, 2003 - 07:37 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Conservative commentator Rush Limbaugh has always been a bit of a lightning rod on many issues. Now it seems that Limbaugh is taking a no holds barred approach in his new gig as part of ESPN's pro-football broadcasting. His target this past weekend was Philadelphia Eagles star quarterback Donovan McNabb, an African-American. Limbaugh said of McNabb, and quoting now, "I don't think he's been that good from the get go. I think what we have here is a little social concern in the NFL. I think the media has been very desirous that a black quarterback do well, black coaches and quarterbacks doing well, and I think there was a little hope invested in McNabb and he got a lot of credit for the performance of his team that he did not really deserve."
That was a quote from this past weekend.
Let's talk about it. Our discussion this morning, from Norman, Oklahoma, trying to tackle this issue, former Oklahoma Congressman and one time college football star, J.C. Watts is back with us.
Nice to see you again post-life and politics.
J.C. WATTS, FORMER OKLAHOMA CONGRESSMAN: Bill, thank you.
HEMMER: Roy S. Johnson, assistant managing editor of "Sports Illustrated."
And one note -- nice to see you, Roy.
Good morning, as well.
ROY S. JOHNSON, ASSISTANT MANAGING EDITOR, "SPORTS ILLUSTRATED": Thank you.
Nice to be here.
HEMMER: One note to viewers, Limbaugh turned down our request here on AMERICAN MORNING for a response. But we do have one from ESPN that's forthcoming.
J.C., first to you in Oklahoma.
Did you hear the comments on Sunday as they were played live? And, if so, what was your reaction when you heard?
WATTS: I did not hear them live, Bill. But I have heard the comments. And, you know, Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan said once, he said we're entitled to our own opinions, but we're not entitled to our own facts.
I think the comments were a little unfair to Dave McNabb when you consider that he's been in the National Football League for four years. He's been in the playoffs three of those four years, I believe. He's done very, very well. And the tone of Rush's and Steve Young's comments made it seem as though, you know, that unless you win the Super Bowl and you're in the National Football League Hall of Fame and you play perfectly well every single game, you just, you're not going to be a very good quarterback.
And I think, you know, the standard in which they were trying to hold him to, it's very unfair.
HEMMER: Yes. What do you think, Roy? Racially insensitive or not?
JOHNSON: Well, racially insensitive, they were factually incorrect. I mean let's look at the numbers. Going into this season, Dave McNabb had the third lowest interception percentage all time in the NFL. Touchdown to ratio -- touchdown to interception ratio, the fourth highest in NFL history going into this season.
Now, there's no question that he did not play well. He was pitiful. He was awful in the first two games. But...
HEMMER: And admitted it, actually.
JOHNSON: And admitted it. But to take those two games, discount what he has accomplished, leading his team to a conference title game last year, was just, was just incorrect. And that is the largest problem there.
HEMMER: Factually, also, Limbaugh is saying that essentially the media wants to elevate a black quarterback or black coach. You work in the print media...
JOHNSON: Well, let's look at the...
HEMMER: Is that the case?
JOHNSON: Well, first of all, Limbaugh is part of the media as much as any of us. And, you know, to -- anyone who makes that case that the media does something is simple-minded to a degree. Certainly I have never heard of anyone -- and our senior writer, Peter King, spoke with a Philadelphia beat writer yesterday who said he had never heard anyone in Philadelphia sit around and say gosh, you know, it's really nice to see a black quarterback do well.
Let's face it, there is a -- there's been a black coach in that city who did not do well and was fired. There were black coaches across the country who did not do well and were fired and there are some who did well and are being, are still being given an opportunity to do that.
So his comments were just wrong. HEMMER: Here's what ESPN says. We'll put it on the screen. And, J.C., I want to get a comment from you after this. "This is not a politically motivated comment. Rush Limbaugh was arguing McNabb is essentially overrated and that his success is more in part to the team assembled around him. Rush is also arguing that McNabb has been propped up because the media is desirous to have successful black quarterbacks. This is a sports and media argument. It is not political."
The same question to you, J.C. Do you believe right now there is an effort to elevate African-Americans in this sport?
WATTS: Bill, athletics is still the one arena, I think, that's existing today that you really are judged on your merit. To say that we're going to bring in, someone's going to bring Dave McNabb into Philadelphia and pay him over, you know, $100 million for six or seven years based on his skin color is just stupid. And otherwise, and furthermore, to say that his success is built based on the people around him, I can say that about Troy Aikman. Troy Aikman would say that about himself. I can say it about Dan Marino. I can say it about Steve Young. I can say it about J.C. Watts when I was a quarterback. You are only as good as the people that surround you. That's how you win championships.
So, again, to put Dave McNabb in that circumstance and say that, you know, that applies to him but it doesn't apply to every other quarterback, white or black, in the National Football League, again, it's just preposterous.
HEMMER: You know, Dave McNabb said, at the end of this interview now -- I just want to close out with this and put it on the screen here -- "It's sad that you've got to go to skin color. I thought we were through with that whole deal."
WATTS: That's right.
HEMMER: A final comment, Roy, based on what J.C. said.
JOHNSON: Rush Limbaugh, 15 years too late. This argument was ended in 1988 when Doug Williams led the Washington Redskins to the Super Bowl. There are 10 black quarterbacks starting in the NFL. Rush, if you're going to be on the air and spew that kind of thing, be correct and come on time.
HEMMER: Let's end with that.
Roy Johnson, thanks, here in New York City.
JOHNSON: Thank you.
HEMMER: J.C. Watts in Norman, Oklahoma, Good to see you again.
WATTS: Thank you, Bill.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
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Aired October 1, 2003 - 07:37 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Conservative commentator Rush Limbaugh has always been a bit of a lightning rod on many issues. Now it seems that Limbaugh is taking a no holds barred approach in his new gig as part of ESPN's pro-football broadcasting. His target this past weekend was Philadelphia Eagles star quarterback Donovan McNabb, an African-American. Limbaugh said of McNabb, and quoting now, "I don't think he's been that good from the get go. I think what we have here is a little social concern in the NFL. I think the media has been very desirous that a black quarterback do well, black coaches and quarterbacks doing well, and I think there was a little hope invested in McNabb and he got a lot of credit for the performance of his team that he did not really deserve."
That was a quote from this past weekend.
Let's talk about it. Our discussion this morning, from Norman, Oklahoma, trying to tackle this issue, former Oklahoma Congressman and one time college football star, J.C. Watts is back with us.
Nice to see you again post-life and politics.
J.C. WATTS, FORMER OKLAHOMA CONGRESSMAN: Bill, thank you.
HEMMER: Roy S. Johnson, assistant managing editor of "Sports Illustrated."
And one note -- nice to see you, Roy.
Good morning, as well.
ROY S. JOHNSON, ASSISTANT MANAGING EDITOR, "SPORTS ILLUSTRATED": Thank you.
Nice to be here.
HEMMER: One note to viewers, Limbaugh turned down our request here on AMERICAN MORNING for a response. But we do have one from ESPN that's forthcoming.
J.C., first to you in Oklahoma.
Did you hear the comments on Sunday as they were played live? And, if so, what was your reaction when you heard?
WATTS: I did not hear them live, Bill. But I have heard the comments. And, you know, Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan said once, he said we're entitled to our own opinions, but we're not entitled to our own facts.
I think the comments were a little unfair to Dave McNabb when you consider that he's been in the National Football League for four years. He's been in the playoffs three of those four years, I believe. He's done very, very well. And the tone of Rush's and Steve Young's comments made it seem as though, you know, that unless you win the Super Bowl and you're in the National Football League Hall of Fame and you play perfectly well every single game, you just, you're not going to be a very good quarterback.
And I think, you know, the standard in which they were trying to hold him to, it's very unfair.
HEMMER: Yes. What do you think, Roy? Racially insensitive or not?
JOHNSON: Well, racially insensitive, they were factually incorrect. I mean let's look at the numbers. Going into this season, Dave McNabb had the third lowest interception percentage all time in the NFL. Touchdown to ratio -- touchdown to interception ratio, the fourth highest in NFL history going into this season.
Now, there's no question that he did not play well. He was pitiful. He was awful in the first two games. But...
HEMMER: And admitted it, actually.
JOHNSON: And admitted it. But to take those two games, discount what he has accomplished, leading his team to a conference title game last year, was just, was just incorrect. And that is the largest problem there.
HEMMER: Factually, also, Limbaugh is saying that essentially the media wants to elevate a black quarterback or black coach. You work in the print media...
JOHNSON: Well, let's look at the...
HEMMER: Is that the case?
JOHNSON: Well, first of all, Limbaugh is part of the media as much as any of us. And, you know, to -- anyone who makes that case that the media does something is simple-minded to a degree. Certainly I have never heard of anyone -- and our senior writer, Peter King, spoke with a Philadelphia beat writer yesterday who said he had never heard anyone in Philadelphia sit around and say gosh, you know, it's really nice to see a black quarterback do well.
Let's face it, there is a -- there's been a black coach in that city who did not do well and was fired. There were black coaches across the country who did not do well and were fired and there are some who did well and are being, are still being given an opportunity to do that.
So his comments were just wrong. HEMMER: Here's what ESPN says. We'll put it on the screen. And, J.C., I want to get a comment from you after this. "This is not a politically motivated comment. Rush Limbaugh was arguing McNabb is essentially overrated and that his success is more in part to the team assembled around him. Rush is also arguing that McNabb has been propped up because the media is desirous to have successful black quarterbacks. This is a sports and media argument. It is not political."
The same question to you, J.C. Do you believe right now there is an effort to elevate African-Americans in this sport?
WATTS: Bill, athletics is still the one arena, I think, that's existing today that you really are judged on your merit. To say that we're going to bring in, someone's going to bring Dave McNabb into Philadelphia and pay him over, you know, $100 million for six or seven years based on his skin color is just stupid. And otherwise, and furthermore, to say that his success is built based on the people around him, I can say that about Troy Aikman. Troy Aikman would say that about himself. I can say it about Dan Marino. I can say it about Steve Young. I can say it about J.C. Watts when I was a quarterback. You are only as good as the people that surround you. That's how you win championships.
So, again, to put Dave McNabb in that circumstance and say that, you know, that applies to him but it doesn't apply to every other quarterback, white or black, in the National Football League, again, it's just preposterous.
HEMMER: You know, Dave McNabb said, at the end of this interview now -- I just want to close out with this and put it on the screen here -- "It's sad that you've got to go to skin color. I thought we were through with that whole deal."
WATTS: That's right.
HEMMER: A final comment, Roy, based on what J.C. said.
JOHNSON: Rush Limbaugh, 15 years too late. This argument was ended in 1988 when Doug Williams led the Washington Redskins to the Super Bowl. There are 10 black quarterbacks starting in the NFL. Rush, if you're going to be on the air and spew that kind of thing, be correct and come on time.
HEMMER: Let's end with that.
Roy Johnson, thanks, here in New York City.
JOHNSON: Thank you.
HEMMER: J.C. Watts in Norman, Oklahoma, Good to see you again.
WATTS: Thank you, Bill.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
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