Limbaugh's life lesson

By Bill Foster

It looks like a life lesson for Rush Limbaugh. Limbaugh's comments about Philadelphia Eagles' quarterback Donovan McNabb were thoughtless, irresponsible and without merit.

That being said, I do not think Limbaugh should have been asked to step down as guest commentator on ESPN's pregame show -- at least not for that comment. The U.S. Constitution guarantees Limbaugh the right to show his ignorance and his prejudices -- and believe me, he did.

Limbaugh said McNabb was overrated and that the liberal media needed a black quarterback to do well. By the time Limbaugh was able to get his shoe out of his mouth, he had been sacked by ESPN. Yes, Limbaugh was allowed to step down to save face, but it doesn't take a genius to figure out that he was toast as soon as the words left his mouth.

Limbaugh had been hired to provide an intelligent fan's commentary on the week's games. I just don't think Limbaugh had the football savvy to do the job. Previously, Limbaugh had made the observation that Rams' head coach Mike Martz had never taken the Rams to a Super Bowl. Hello. Let's see, New England Patriots, Tom Brady, Adam Vinatieri ring a bell? I am a big St. Louis Rams fan -- believe me, I haven't forgotten.

His commentary on McNabb was equally flawed. Donovan McNabb is one of the most fearless, most talented and most respected quarterbacks in the game. I recall a game a couple of years ago where McNabb finished the game on a broken ankle. In an era of sports where pansy players like J.D. Drew sit out frequently because of little aches and pains, McNabb is to be admired for his gutsy leadership and performance on the field.

If ESPN wanted to can Limbaugh for his lack of football IQ, then I think the network had legitimate grounds. But the network shouldn't have asked him to step aside because of the racial implications of the comment he made about McNabb.

Last summer, Chicago Cubs manager Dusty Baker said something to the effect (I am paraphrasing here) that Latino and African-American ballplayers were bred for the heat and could handle the hot summer days better than white ballplayers. Can you imagine the uproar had a white manager made such an statement? I don't remember anyone ever asking for Baker's head on a platter.

The bottom line is that extraordinary athletes come in all colors. Marshall Faulk, Albert Pujols, Mark Prior, Michael Jordan, Ichiro Suzuki, Wayne Gretzky -- they all are blessed with a God-given talent. Some commentators have argued that Limbaugh's comments have knocked race relations back to the 1960s. Do we really want to give Limbaugh that much credit and power?

If anyone is overrated it is Rush Limbaugh. Limbaugh's views were uninformed and self-serving. He has a vested interested in being outrageous and opinionated. He has scored a multimillion-dollar contract by being, as Al Franken argues, a big fat idiot. I wouldn't go that far, as Limbaugh and I hold similar conservative opinions when it comes to politics and social issues.

But that is my point. Everyone has an opinion. It just so happens this mouthpiece has an audience of millions. If Limbaugh wants to embarrass himself in front of millions of listeners, I'm certainly not going to stop him. In fact, I am going to enjoy watching.

You will notice that I haven't mentioned the accusations that surround Limbaugh concerning his alleged misuse of prescription drugs. The reason is simple. This is still the United States of America, and I firmly believe that a man is innocent until proven guilty in this country.

I will say this: If Limbaugh is proven to have acquired and possessed prescription drugs illegally, then he should be punished just like anyone else would be.

Wouldn't it be ironic if Limbaugh had the privilege of sharing a prison cell with a rather large African American who just happened to love Donovan McNabb and the Philadelphia Eagles? Remember, God does have a sense of humor, and he loves to use his sense of humor to teach us lessons we need to learn. Trust me. I have had firsthand experience with this.

Perhaps it's Limbaugh's turn.

Bill Foster is a Cape Girardeau resident.