(Rush Limbaugh on Sunday Night Countdown on September 28, 2003)

In 2003, prominent conservative talk show host Rush Limbaugh was given a seat on ESPN's NFL pre-game show. Programming VP Mark Shapiro said that Rush's purpose was to "provide the voice of the fan and to spark debate on the show." Less than a month into his new gig as a Sunday Night Countdown analyst, Limbaugh gave a comment on Donovan McNabb that sparked so much debate that it culminated in his resignation.

The nationally-syndicated figure was asked why the 0-2 Philadelphia Eagles and McNabb were struggling so much. His response: "I'm sorry to say this, I don't think he's been that good from the get-go. I think what we've had here is a little social concern on the NFL. I think the media has been very desirous that a black quarterback do well. They're interested in black coaches and black quarterbacks doing well."

The uproar from fans and columnists was swift, and after numerous calls for his ousting at ESPN, Limbaugh resigned three days later. Limbaugh was already perceived by many people to have a racial bias, which only made his argument look worse. The NFL, even in 2003, was 70% black and McNabb was a Pro Bowl quarterback. The idea that his accolades, which he had to fight for every day in Philadelphia, were somehow placed on him by the media and that he wasn't all that good irked the Eagles fans.

"It's somewhat shocking to hear that on national TV from him," McNabb said. "It's not something that I can sit here and say won't bother me. It's sad that you've got to go skin color. I thought we were through with that whole deal."

ESPN received heavy criticism for their handling of the controversy. When Limbaugh said what he said, the four other cast members on the Sunday Night Countdown set either nodded or said they agreed with him, though Tom Jackson and Michael Irvin would later say they were outraged. ESPN was also slammed for allowing Limbaugh to "resign," rather than taking the initiative to fire him. They did however release this statement to the press:

"Although Mr. Limbaugh today stated that his comments had ‘no racist intent whatsoever,’ we have communicated to Mr. Limbaugh that his comments were insensitive and inappropriate. Throughout his career, he has been consistent in his criticism of the media’s coverage of a myriad of issues."

On his own show, Rush attempted to defend his position. "At one point we didn't have enough black quarterbacks. Well, now there are quite a number of black quarterbacks and it's my opinion that the sports media, being liberals just like liberal media is elsewhere, have a desire that black quarterbacks excel and do very well so that their claims that blacks are being denied opportunity can be validated.

"I guess if you listen to the elitist liberal sports media, I nor anybody else who hasn't been somehow close to the game or played it or whatever, shouldn't be on a program where these items are discussed."

It was a typical Limbaugh defense to be sure. Who knew there was not only a liberal sports media, but an elitist liberal sports media? The bottom line was that Limbaugh probably shouldn't have been hired to begin with -- after all, was social commentary really necessary on a Sunday NFL pregame show?

"If he had just criticized McNabb and stopped there, that would have been all right," said ESPN's Sean Salisbury. "But once he brought race into it, that was ludicrous. This is 2003. What does the color of his skin have to do with anything? ... You’ll never hear me refer to a coach or a quarterback as a black coach or a black quarterback. It's irrelevant."

Only a few days after quitting ESPN, Limbaugh's bad week got a whole lot worse when his name was linked to an illegal OxyContin smuggling ring. Limbaugh admitted on his show that he was addicted to pain medication, which spurred further outrage because of his notoriously harsh stances on drug use. “Too many whites are getting away with drug use," he had once said. "The answer is to… find the ones who are getting away with it, convict them, and send them up the river.”

Meanwhile, McNabb handled the controversy with ease. His Eagles won 10 of their next 11 games, including nine in a row, and advanced to the NFC Championship Game for the third consecutive season.

In 2007, Limbaugh had this to say about Bears' quarterback Rex Grossman, who was getting hammered for his bad play in Super Bowl XL: "It's just -- they're focusing on this guy like they don't focus on anybody! And I tell you, I know what it is. The media, the sports media, has got social concerns that they are first and foremost interested in, and they're dumping on this guy -- Rex Grossman -- for one reason, folks, and that's because he is a white quarterback."

Zing.

Further reading:

ESPN's decision-makers deserve bulk of blame for Limbaugh [USA Today]