It's become the old "pin it on the dead guy" trick, so to speak...
TVNewser says that while the quote was pinned by one of their anonymous tipsters on Davidson Goldin, editorial director, who was chopped as part of MSNBC's cost-cutting efforts last month (NOT this month because of anything he presumably said about Keith), Goldin is denying it...although it took him several hours to do so.
Another Anon E. Mus is claiming that someone still working at MSNBC actually said it, and is attempting to conveniently pin the quote on a guy who's already gone.
Curiouser and curiouser...I don't suppose we'll ever know the truth about this one (and Keith may not know it either...but if he does, he may not WANT anyone to know it).
One thing we know for sure...it was never meant literally, and those who took it that way are acting like idiots.
http://www.mediabistro.com/tvnewser/msnbc/who_gave_the_anonymous_quote_about_olbermann_75178.asp#more