Maureen Miller
AC360° Writer
Rush Limbaugh's effort to buy a stake in the Saint Louis Rams is over. The controversial radio talk show host was supposed to be a limited partner in a group that wanted to buy the NFL team. Though, the head of that group now says Limbaugh will have no part in the bid.
"It has become clear that his involvement in our group has become a complication and a distraction to our intentions; endangering our bid to keep the team in Saint Louis, " the head of the group Dave Checketts said in a statement tonight.
As we mentioned earlier this week on 360°, Limbaugh's involvement had run into opposition within the NFL due to his past remarks about African-Americans in general and some black NFL players.
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell expressed doubts yesterday when he said Limbaugh's "divisive comments are not what the NFL is all about." Also Tuesday, Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay said he would vote against a bid that involved Limbaugh. Keep in mind: any bid needs three-quarters of existing owners to agree.
What do you think of the Limbaugh dismissal? Sound off below.
Tonight on 360°, former ESPN anchor Stephen A. Smith weighs in on the move – along with the Rev. Al Sharpton who called on the NFL to block a Limbaugh bid.
We will also bring you an exclusive report on the sweat lodge ceremony that ended in the death of two people in Arizona last weekend. Gary Tuchman shows us what the ancient ritual is all about and he has new details on investigation.
Plus, for the first time, you'll see what Jaycee Duggard looks like after 18-years in captivity. Erica Hill reports on how Jaycee and her two children are doing now that she's reunited with her family.
Join us for these stories and more starting at 10pm ET. See you then!
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does this mean that in the future when you or I or anyone wants to buy something, we will be judged on our past comments before we will be allowed to do so??? who made that rule???
The people who tried to put this deal together must be fools. Rush's presence as a limited partner would lead a majority of the players, especially Black players, to leave the team, and would make it virtually impossible to sign free agents. It took way too long for Dave Checketts to give this blowhard the boot.
Is this the start of political discrimination in the private sector?
dave you are the idiot....this is a free country, and if your mouth gets you in trouble and no one wants you...then so be it. You must be a follower...I ve listen to Rush for a long time now and this is the very least he deserves.
rush calls Obama a racist but it has all come back on him, as it should.
Rush should have been able to bid on a team. The NFL owners and leadership are all hypocrites. The biggest hypocrite in all this though is Al Sharpton a man who has done harm to many including especially those he pretends to represent.
Wow! There's a lot of hatred out there, at least from the tone of these comments. Is this wealth envy, liberal angst against anyone conservative, or simply misinformed commentary from uninformed folks who only know Limbaugh from what someone else has told them?
Have these folks actually listened to the guy and considered his positions, or are they simply goose-stepping for someone else's political bigotry? Sad, really sad.
I think all the owners of football franchises should be scruntinized like Mr. Limbaugh was. The NFL would find lots of offensive blow hards who are already owners. What are they afraid of? Seems the teams already have thugs and the likes in their midst. Let's keep politics out of sports for goodness sakes!
The NFL is a private organization and their bylaws state they can deny anyone ownership, including Rush Limbaugh, so those of you calling the NFL "unfair" can pipe down. Limbaugh's nature and comments have made him a lot of money, but as you can see there are negative side effects of such behavior.
Of course Rush has the right to say or believe whatever he wants, but the constitution guarantees no right to a platform from which to say it. The NFL is a private ownership club and is entirely within it's rights to refuse membership to whomever it choses using whatever criteria they choose. On top of that, the other members of the group of prospective buyers have a first amendment right to assemble and associate themselves with whomever they choose or choose not to.
We should all take a lesson from this situation.
Words and thoughts of hatred can be lethal when shooting off your mouth. This was self inflicted.
What a pathetic childish liar I've never witnessed before as I watched Rush attempted to explain his way out of his bigoted commentary. I love Football and watch every sunday. Today I have a "Newfound Respect" for the commisioner
The players have standards set by the owners. I see now the owners have standards too. I applaud them.
Rush rocks, period!
Yo, Dave from Chicago, before you call Joanne and idiot check your facts. Freedom of Speech gives you the right to say what you want, not to buy what you want. Anyone who runs a business has the right to refuse to sell their product to anyone they wish. If the NFL wishes to refuse to allow a bigot to buy one of their teams that is perfectly within their right to do so.
yup – people have a right to freedom of speech and (responsible} actions just as other people have the right to not associate with bigots and racists. thank you NFL, think I'll renew my season tickets again!
It amazes me how nasty people are to this man. He is not racist, he just isn't politically correct. The hypocrisy of so many people saying he should be banned and so forth, what country do you people think we live in? When a man can't engage in a business transaction because he's stated his opinion on a subject you happen to disagree with, you need to think long and hard about what has happened to this country.
This is the greatest country in the world, and it is so because we're a free nation where ideas can be expressed without fear of reprisal. Well, that is what it used to be. Liberals seem to want to turn it into a place where people are no longer free to speak their mind, build a business and enjoy the fruits of labor. Where no man shall earn what another desires, even though there is nothing stopping that man from earning it to.
America and the NFL should be ashamed. No wonder so many citizens of the world look down on us...just because we don't like someone we should not disrupt their pursuit of happiness that doesn't infringe on others.
If you don't like his radio show – don't listen. If you don't like his NFL team, don't watch them. But you simply cannot deny citizens their rights to fair business. Don't play God.
I agree, where is this evidence. People always amaze me, you block a guy from buying a team because of something that has not been proven, but you elect a man for president that sat in a church that preached hate, but he knew nothing about....yea right, how about use some brain cells people......
I wasn't pleased to see Rush make a bid, but seperating politics from sports is largely an American phenomonon. Look at European soccer if you don't believe me, where rivalries are based more on politics, religion and ethnicity more than anything else.
Anyhow, I think Rush's team would have been doomed to fail. Every defensive coordinator would figure out in a hurry that Rush's offense would never go to the left and rarely go to the center.
I can't believe someone would say refusal to involve him in the partnership is a violation of his freedom of speech.
That statement is propostorous.
The last thing the NFL needs is more sour publicity. They already have their hands full with other issues that have to do with the game.
All Rush would be is a distraction.
It's about "character" not "freedom of speech"
Thank Goodness.....the NFL wised up about the loud month Rush.
He is a disgrace to America and preaches only hatred. So thankful
I live far from Rush the RAT. His voice and face make me cringe.
Rush cheered when Chicago lost the bid for the Olympics, now Chicago and other Americans can cheer that this racist has lost his bid for the Rams.
I'm really surprised that he would even be considered by anybody to buy an NFL team. Kudos to the NFL and Goodell for telling him to keep his money. His hate filled speeches and political nonsense have no business in the NFL.
Nice try Pancake.............you cant compare apples and oranges no matter hot hard you try>And we do not need and the NFL knows that Rush is way out there and really has a small sad following.
speech is now a standard..there are rappers who are part owners who demean women and are owners..Rush may not belong but don't throw rocks from inside a glass house..
Rush Limbaugh = bad for NFL because you disagree with his politics.
Michael Vick = Good... because... why was that again?
Honestly, you want to judge people involded in a sport where the main goal is to smash the crap out of the opposing team so you can win?
...unless one of their owners is a Republican?
Land of the Free Home of the Brave? Where is the right for Rush to express his freedom of speech !! That is what this country is founded upon !
Believe it or not, many Americans share the same views as Rush Limbaugh. He is conservative...not racist. His comments were taken out of context. If a white person ever says anything about a black person, they are labeled racist. Why isn't that the case when a black person slams a white person? I'm white and not racist. I'm tired of everything always being about skin color. Maybe conservatives should come up with a way to make the NFL pay for catering to lying hypocrits that don't like Rush because of his conservative views so they try to label him racist... and to make things interesting....let's dig up all the dirt we can about other NFL owners. I'm sure we could find much more interesting things to talk about.
We live in a free, capitalist country, and Rush is entitled to buy with his own money any legal property that he wants from any willing, legitimate seller. The discussion of what he should be "allowed" to do is ridiculous, and the imposition of purchase restraints on any American because of one's perceptions of another's beliefs is intolerable.
As a conservative and a Football fan, I feel that Rush would have been someone that would bring negativity to the sport. Not because of his political views but because of his many devisive comments. The NFL and other major sports have been vetting those who wish to purchase teams and have stopped those who they feel were not in the best interest for their leagues. I applaud the group of partners who realized this.
This is just the outcome Rush wanted. He never wanted the responsibility and accountability of ownership. He makes hundreds of millions sounding off in a one way communication rant without ever entering into a credible debate. Now poor Rush can play the victim. It all fell right in to his hands.
This is exactly what we don't need to worry about. If any one of us had the money or interest to buy a professional sports team, it shouldnt matter who we are or what we do.
Having a fiscal conservative own a team may actually be a good thing for sports. Quarterbacks don't need to be making $10,000 per play.
Also if anyone is dumb enough to want to buy the Rams let them have em
Thank the good Lord!!! This was a joke from the beginning. Limbaugh will do anything to get attention.
Predictable. Rush may be an incredible jerk, but the fact is that he's no racist. People keep bringing up what he said about McNabb, but he was right about that. But people would rather name-call than confront valid criticism.
If Roger Goodell is serious about wanting this kind of divisiveness and offense out of the NFL , he'll move to rename the Washington D.C franchise as soon as possible.
He runs a league that in the 21st century continues to have a team named for the grandaddy of all racial slurs right up there with the N-word. .
Until then...sorry. There is no honor here.
It is always amazing to me that anyone takes this mook seriously!
He was a failure at all he endeavored in life until he stumbled into this misbegotten radio career.
But for the fanbase of clueless haters and bigots, he might be selling used cars in his hometown of Cape Girardeau, Missouri!
He is a dangerous and despotic character.
I just wish the Republican Party had as much on the ball as the NFL, and would send this clown packing!
It's really too bad. Rush loves NFL football and this would be like a dream come true for him. The group had no choice but to drop him. The NFL does not want politics to be involved in the game and that makes sense. But lets apply the same rules to all the owners.
Limbaugh is a talk show host, not the leader of any political party. No one, including him, should be banned from any private business endeavors just because their opinion differs from yours. In addition, as a "limited partner" he would likely not have much influence in the St. Louis Rams organization, let alone "this sector of American Life." It was a business decision to include him in the first place as an investor, and it was a business decision to exclude him to boost the chances of the remaining partners given the negative press surrounding his past comments. To imply otherwise only shows your lack of business acumen, and how suppressed your analytical thought processes are by your partisan opinions.
Hey Rush – Good riddance!
I doubt may people that have bashed Limbaugh have even listened to his radio show before or know anything about the man except what you hear from other people. Controversial and a conservative he might be but he's not some racist bigot that spreads hatred. He only tells his view as a conservative, which I guess in this day and age is liek being a racist hate monger. Funny how Al Sharpton is labeled the voice of reason here. It seems where there is divisiveness and hatred being spread Sharpton is the one doing the talking.
So it's ok to take felons like Michael Vick back into the NFL but perish the thought that someone who has expressed their opinions publicly be allowed to have an ownership stake in a team.
Glad the NFL has their priorities straight.
I don't even like Limbaugh, but this strikes me as incredibly unfair.
limbaugh must take responsibility for his own words and actions. Whether or not he uttered the exact words for which he is accused, he can hardly be considered a proponent of diversity.
In addition, as a big supporter of the "free market" and capitalism, he should know that professional football teams are corporations. The purpose of corporations is to make money, and if the other owners feel that limbaugh's ownership of an NFL team would reduce their profits, then they are justified in wanting to keep him out.
It appears that limbaugh is falling the blade that he sharpened.
The NFL is pathetic. Caving to people like Jessie Jackson and Al Sharpton. The NFL wants to go the moral high ground all of a sudden. Rush Limbaugh made his Mcnabb comment 6 years ago. How many players in the NFL have actually committed real crimes and been giving second chances. For example, Michael Vick. He kills dogs, goes to jail and then is welcomed back into the NFL with open arms. Where was Jessie Jackson and Al Sharpton then. When it came to Michael Vick all you heard was give the guy a second chance but when it comes to Rush Limbaugh its one strike and your out. Pathetic is all i have to say. Rush's ratings and popularity are going to grow even more from this.
Do any of you who claim Rush promotes hate and racism ever listen to his show or do you get your opinions from listening to sound bites. I might suggest before you label him a bigot or a racist or anything else of the sort you might take a week to listen to his show and hear what he is all about because obviously you don't have a clue. He never made any negative comments about blacks in the NFL, on the contrary what he was saying is that the media was in essence giving preferential treatment to some athletes on the basis of their skin color...so you tell me who's the bigot?
Racism is when you discriminate against someone because of their race. Rush is being discriminated against because of his "'conservative beliefs." So let's call it a belief discrimination. Does anyone think Rush will eliminate the black players? What are the football players' and owners' fears? Rush believes anyone who works for a living deserves the best. Why does anyone feel threatened by that?
It's about time he realized that his behavior has consequences.
As much as I disagree with Limbaugh's remarks, I don't think it is fair to exclude him from the NFL deal because of his political statements. As far as his "divisive" racial remarks, the football field is the wrong place to address them.
When you spew hate daily like Rush Limbaugh, most people just plain don't like you and don't want to listen to you. A lesson to learn Rush all the money in the world cannot buy you respect. Respectable people just can't stand you, but you are too ignorant to get it. Stay out of sports.
Allowing this guy to have stake in a professional sports franchise, in a sport that, for the most part, openly embraces racial diversity, would have been a horrid step backwards in time...way, way backward in time.
Good on the NFL folks for stepping up before this got any further than it did.