Donovan McNabb News Conference - CNN - 11:30 am

Just a heads-up. McNabb is holding a news conference at 11:30 am (ET) to respond to Rush Limbaugh's comments. Eagles coach Andy Reid will be with McNabb at the press conference.

CNN will carry the conference live.

Should be interesting... GO, DONOVAN!!!

But I'm not holding my breath........

Im at work so Ill miss it, but I hope someone can keep us updated.

ESPN should pay for this. No reason for them not to know what Rush is about, they knowingly hired a racist.

Rush's little blurb on the opening show included a rant about the very old story on the Detroit Lions hiring Mariucci and not interviweing a black candidate. I thought Limbaugh just wanted to talk football? This is the second time in four weeks now he has dragged race into the discussion on a football pregame show. What next? Why aren't there mroe white recievers and running backs? Or how about, "You know, Blacks just aren't smart enough to be quarterbacks".

I wonder how long rush will last ..

what a contrast with Rush!

Someone tell me what Rush said. Ive been too busy to be online or watch tv. Im in the dark here and this sounds good.

From Salon (via AP, I think)

On ESPN's "Sunday NFL Countdown," Limbaugh, the outspoken conservative radio talk show host, said he didn't think McNabb was as good as perceived from the start. The quarterback's career has included two straight NFC championship games and MVP runner-up.

"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."

For a racist dickhead. The defense does carry that team. :-) Thanks for bringing me up to par.

He said that Lawyer Milloy couldn't "save" the Bills defense, then the Bills beat the Patriots what 27 to nothing? I watched Sunday NFL Countdown every Sunday and he always gets smoked in the debates with the former athletes, McNabb carried that offense and there were alot of times McNabb had to make plays to win the game, of course Defense wins games, it's highly unlikely to win when your defense allowed 49 points but the offense puts points on the board, unless you are a Buccaneers linebacker.

He cannot resist resorting to his racist rhetoric and now it has blown up in his face because he is no longer preaching to the choir.

*

I plan to watch the news conference; I'll transcribe it to the best of my ability while it goes on, for the benefit of our cubicle-bound friends. :-)

Here are some of the things I noticed in CNN's coverage of this story this morning:

Former Republican congressman (and Oklahoma football star) JC Watts gave a pretty scathing indictment of Limbaugh on CNN's American Morning today, saying:

"Athletics is still the one arena, I think, that exists today where you really are judged on your merit. To say that someone's going to bring Donovan McNabb to Philadelphia and pay him over $100 million for six or seven years based on his skin color is just stupid."

Daryn Kagan (I just love her) on CNN Live Today put it thusly: "ESPN is trying this experiment by hiring Rush Limbaugh. You know, he's supposed to talk about football. It was just a matter of time before he got political. The idea of trying to pump up a black quarterback is silly. There have been so many who have been successful. Right here in Atlanta, we have Michael Vick, for example. We could go on and on... and believe me, we do, when we're not on the air!" Then, the always-excellent Leon Harris, with a disgusted look on his face, said, "You know, I'm not even going to honor his remark with a comment. I'm not even going to go there."

She started out on CNN doing sports. Loved her comments.:-)

Please keep us up-to-date, Jen. Go, Donovan!

There are and have been a number of successful black quarterbacks.

PAST
Doug Williams (won a super bowl)
Warren Moon
Randal Cunningham

Present
Steve McNair (currently the top rated QB in the NFL)
Daunte Culpepper
Michael Vick
Aaron Brooks
Donovan McNabb (reguardless of what Rush says he has done pretty well)

Present - but not so successful
Quincy Carter
Kordell Stewart

Future
Byron Leftwich



The idea that there would be some need to pump up a black QB is clearly based in racism.

hey now, Quincy has been playing really well lately, IMO. We are 2-1 :)

Rush is an idiot

I wasn't sure he had it in him. I remember seeing all those wobbly throws he used to make. Now he's playing with some poise, and throwing some good passes.

Still making quite a few mistakes, but hey this is technically his 2nd year(even though it's his 3rd).

The bigger question is if the rest of the team was playing badly and we lost both games, would people still be bagging on Qcar? I mean, he did have over 200 yards of running support on sunday. Any NFl QB should be able to turn that into a win.

this year?

So far him and his Saints have been stinkers.

Isn't he QB-ing for Arizona now?

no mention of it coming up-wassupwitdat?are they gonna go to it or what?I doubt it SCLM

... and said they're keeping their cameras trained on it, and will bring it live when McNabb begins his comments.

:evilgrin:

As a frustrated Buffalo Bills fan who was tearing my hair out during the Eagles-Bills game I feel compelled to say that McNabb gave an awesome performance. His passes looked like they were propelled with homing devices. He ran well. He had the smarts to outplay a very experienced veteran line. He looked fantastic on Sunday.

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Tell ESPN to fire that racist SOB!!!

he isn't a dittohead.

an independent counsel must be appointed and hearings must be held.

There was nothing covered up, he out right said it, an investigation isn't going to reveal that.

says about Rush "this is why we don't hire auto mechanics to comment on medicine."

Ouch.

While Daryn and Leon wait for the conference to start, Daryn just commented:

"To be fair, Donovan McNabb, who has been a successful quarterback, has had a rough start to the season, but what that has to do with the color of skin is a moot point. ESPN, in trying to compete in that very tough slot of Sunday morning NFL programs, has hired Rush Limbaugh, who was supposed to come on and talk about football. It didn't take him, what, 3 or 4 weeks, to get politics and race involved in it. But, maybe they're getting what they want."

I don't think Rush realizes it, but he backhandedly slammed the coach by suggesting that he was hesistant to bench McNabb out of fear of looking racist. Think about how that makes him look in the eyes of the team. Here's hoping he makes a statement, too.


rocknation

I think Rush had somewhat of a point in the beginning and then it got all garbled up as seconds past on Sunday. I do believe the NFL had a desire for McNabb to do well because of his skin color. As much as everyone wants race not to be an issue, these days, it still is. For all those who are about to flame me, just look at what the NFL rules comittee has governed by mandating that minority canidates be interviewed for head coaching vacancies. The NFL wants a more diverse group in leadership positions on and off the field.

:: THIS IS WHERE I DIVERGE FROM RUSH ::

HOWEVER, I do NOT feel his race has given him any sort of protective shield from crticisms from the media. He is a very good quarterback with awesome potential. He is also black. You can argue that the defense made the team better last year (which it did) but McNabb was also a large part as well.

The NFL certainly hopes that blacks get better oppurtunities but it has nothing to do with a specific player. Black players get far fewer endorsements (except in BB) and have a much lower media profile in general.

The way to tell if race is still an issue is to look at the quality of play from minorities. It has been said that the color line in baseball wasn't broken when Jackie Robinson was hired, he was a superstar, only an idiot wouldn't want he or Mays on their team (that idiot being Tom Yawkey). the color line was truly broken when Lenny Randle had a job in the majors because he sucked. Conversely we will know that black coaches in college and the NFL and baseball are treated fairly when the equivalent of the old retread starts being black.

The true test of the state of racism in the NFL is that Ray Lucas and Jeff Blake have jobs. Just twenty years ago you had to be Doug Williams to be a black QB in the league.

But a test of the medias latent racism is the respective response to Mr's Terrel Owens and Jeremy Shockey. Shockey is seen as a firey young player who has too much exuberance to be contained in the human body wheras TO is seen as a selfish maniac bent on the destruction of the western world. If the melanin were reversed so would be the rection to their comments.

An addendum:
Look how long Kurt Warner had to play poorly before the media started pointing it out. McNabb has had three bad games and he is a lightning rod.


Rush, if its better to be black in this country then just change your radio name to "Rushiqua" and watch your popularity soar.

He's from Dolton which is in Jesse Jr.'s Cong District. He went to Mount Carmel High which I pass everyday on the way to work.

Give 'em hell, DMcN. Show 'em what you got.

McNabb: "I've been going through this since high school and college. I would have thought it would be over right now. It's shocking to actually hear that on national TV, from him. I can't sit here and say it won't affect me, it won't bother me. I have to look at the big picture. What about the current black quarterbacks in the NFL? What about the kids coming up in college? What about kids who look to us as role models? So, I will be looked down upon because of the color of my skin? That's sad. Look at Michael Vick and Daunte Culpepper. Kids all over the world wear our jerseys, look at us and say "He's the best player in the league, I want to be just like him."

:thumbsup:

"What he said is over. There's nothing you can do to change it. My color has motivated me all my life. He's not pinpointing the quarterback position, he's pinpointing every African-American player in sports."

"The decision was made by ESPN to have him on there. He's had some good comments. But after he said it, nobody was there defending me or the other players. That's what I worry about."

"I can understand criticizing my performance. But I've never heard comments specifically because I am a black quarterback. Somebody, the camera guy, anybody, should have jumped up there and said something. I'm a Michael Irvin, Steve Young and Tom Jackson fan. Somebody should have said something to the race issue."

"What about the parents of black atheletes, from high school, college. When they see something like that said on ESPN, on national television, what are they supposed to think?"

"Again, I'm not going to let this issue distract me from what we need to get done on the field. It's been said, it's over. I'm going to focus on my job, what I have to do. That's how I'm going to handle it."

"I'm not here to judge anyone. You guys should make the decision about whether he's racist, and what should happen to him. I'm a football player. That was my dream, to play football in the NFL, and I will continue to fulfill my dream."

Question: What would you say if you saw Rush at an Eagles practice, and he said it to you face-to-face?

"He doesn't have to come see me. That's not something I would stress. I really don't want to see him. You can say you're sorry all you want to, but it doesn't matter. It's been said."

"I got a free ride in the media because of my race? In Philadelphia? The performance tells what they want to write about and talk about. (Racism) has affected me all my life. It's not going to stop me from fulfilling my dream. I want to be a great human being, a person who you can rely on and trust, and a good football player."

Question: What was your opinion of Rush Limbaugh before?

"Again, everyone's entitled to their own opinion. They hired him, they obviously feel he can provide a little spark for them. Same reason with Dennis Miller on Monday night, for a spark. People get hired because of issues like that. I'm not going to sit there and try to battle him, or have a debate. I guess that's the way he feels, a lot of others have thought about it."

"I'm trying to figure out why it was even brought up. I don't have an answer for that. Is it because of the money? I'm still looking for the answers. Will their ratings go up because of this? No comment."

Not descending to Rush-level.

Choke on it, Rush!

Class indeed. He didn't say how he felt about Rush at all, good choice. I loved the "I got a break with the Philadelphia press because I am balck?!?!?!?" That was funny.

up to date! Much appreciated!

You must be one fast typer Jen. Thanks a million. Would probably have to wait a few days to find a transcript elsewhere on the web.

appreciate it.

McNabb said it wasn't just about him as a quarterback or about football players, but about basketball and baseball and all other sports too. It's the closest he could get politically to calling Rushie a racist and not say it directly. Good for him.

...Jackson then interjected that "somebody went to those championship games, somebody went to those Pro Bowls, somebody made those plays that I saw, running down the field, doing it with his legs, doing it with his arm. He has been a very effective quarterback for this football team over the last 2 or 3 years."

Limbaugh replied that McNabb benefited from a strong defense...

From http://www.philly.com/mld/dailynews/sports/6894896.htm

... which is why McNabb has a beef with him, and Steve Young, and Michael Irvin. He wondered aloud why the cameraman, at the least, didn't jump out and speak to the race issue.

And like I said elsewhere, the average sports journalist is hired to think and talk and write about the sport and not the surrounding social/political issues.

Maybe Jackson just handled it the best way he could have - from a sports perspective. It sounded a lot like, "Dude you're full of shit" to me.

because I agree with him or her that Jackson didn't HAVE to "get racial" about it. Like any good liberal, he fought Limbaugh's cheap agitprop emotionalism with facts. He was able to specifically cite McNabb's pro bowls and post-season games as proof that he was indeed as "effective" as any other NFL quarterback. Jackson took the high road by looking at the issue as a sportscaster first and black sportscaster second.


rocknation

What the F**K did they expect. This moran is soo damn boorish. The NFL should be withdrawing thier contract with this stupid ass network. Sports has enough problens without this crap going down. Rush and Dennis Miller should start their own network.

he couldnt have said it better, nor could he have been more damaging to limbaugh and ESPN. perfect. thank you donovan mcnabb, for the first time in my life i'll root for the eagles :)

They're my team. BTW, from what I read here, I thought Donovan's comments were excellent. He hit the issue head-on. FYI, the guy was a broadcast major at Syracuse, so he knows how to handle himself in front of a camera!

:-)

for posting McNabb's comments.

i emailed ESPN as soon as I found out that Rush was going to be on their show; no response.

i guess that rush can talk some more about the liberal media, eh?

and the excellent column from AP reporter Litke.


http://www.ajc.com/sports/content/shared/sports/ap/ap_story.html/Football/AP.V2176.AP-FBN-Jim-Litke.html

here is a link to contact ESPN
http://msn.espn.go.com/sitetools/s/contact/espntv.html
give them your opinion

They really didn't take on Rush for being a racist (I guess Kornheiser doesn't want to get suspended again) they just pointed out that McNabb has no great receiver nor tight end but he has taken them to the NFC Championship game the last 2 years. They also emphasized his LEADERSHIP, sounds like Donovan is showing his leadership ability again today.

Way to go Donovan.

part of what I sent them:

Fair warning, you have only seen the tip of the iceberg of what will spill from Limbaugh's hate filled lips and you will regret your odd decision to hire him in the first place. It makes you look like you don't care about a large portion of your viewing audience - hint: all of us are not rightwing white males.

He doesn't want an apology because it won't make a difference, Rush said what he said and an apology won't change it.

Did I hear the reporter correctly? ESPN's response is something to the effect that they hired Rush Limbaugh to comment and that's what he did? No apology?

it's called whoredom

That's it, we're boycotting ESPN. My teenager is going to be disappointed but how can I let him watch a racist?

and turn on the radio. Works great! That is, if you can get the game on both the radio and TV, but you should be able to for your home team.

An ESPN spokesman said Rush's comments were not racially motivated, and he noted that ESPN's ratings are up for that show. So, basically, they don't give a rat's ass.

What a Guy ..

was way nicer than I would've been ;)

...what a great illustration of the contrast between the spittle-flying right and normal human beings.

about Rush's stament: "You will notice there were no stats in that statement." Too funny.

They are so great, and are wearing their hearts on their sleeves when it comes to this issue.

I just e-mailed ESPN. The gist of my comment to them was, "What were you thinking or drinking when you hired this asshole? Savage is too MSNBC what Rush is to ESPN. "Fire his ass and apologise to your viewers".

Donovan is an intelligent guy, he knows what's happening here. He said that Dennis Miller was hired on Monday Night Football for the same reasons Rush was hired on ESPN.. to provide a "little spark."

He knows exactly what's going on here. We couldn't ask for a better advocate. We've got a real gentleman athlete here, folks.

GO DONOVAN! I am so proud you are on my fantasy football team, and I'm going to start you every week, even if you don't bring me victories. :-)

here's what I wrote:

Evidently the multitude of viewers who warned your network that Rush was nothing more than a racists was ignored. That was a mistake. But to now release statements defending the racisist comments from this past week is just too much to stomach. You have lost a viewer...until such time as you have decided to remove this racist idiot from your program.

I guess if I want to watch fair and balanced sports, I need to go to Fox sports! At least they are not as stupid as your networks appears to be by giving a known racist a forum to disparrage athletes who have overcome great hurdles and deserve respect for their efforts.

Oh yes, one more thing...since your network has decided to act in a moranic fashion on this issue, I will be watching one more time...in order to collect the names of the advertisers from this week's coming show so that I can inform them about the racist attitude being offered up with their advertising dollars.

Good luck in the future...i'm sure that surge in racist viewers will let you sleep well at night as you dream of counting cash...

you might want to change the spelling of "moranic" to moronic. Everyone here knows the source of that spelling, but elsewhere they don't, and it will make your otherwise good letter look ignorant.

... comes from sportswriters. They'll single-handedly blow the lid off this story, and I'm looking forward to their thoughtful comments.

Mitch Albom comes to mind immediately... I can't wait to watch "The Sports Reporters" on ESPN this Sunday, right before Rush's appearance on NFL Countdown.

Remember the Bull Durham/Baseball Hall of Fame fiasco? Tim Robbins said he was blown away by the
overwhelming reaction by sportswriters. "Journalists" were typically asleep at the switch, but the lowly
sportswriters were able to get the Hall of Fame to apologize, and made some of the most impassioned
defense of our right to dissent as I've seen anywhere.

that guy makes me want to choke hom twice every Sunday.

Ive never seen that from him. Any examples?

Well probably because most white guys are. Maybe his parents were or maybe they never taught him not to be. Wh is anyone a bigot? If we knew the answer to that then we could solve a lot of problmes.

what makes you call him a bigot? What has he said or done that makes you decide he is a bigot? Geez.

but who is Donovan McNabb?

.