But the real kicker in this brouhaha over Limbaugh's purported effort to become an NFL owner is the uproariously funny spectacle of NFL owners and players solemnly opining on Limbaugh's supposed divisive words and bad behavior.When did the NFL become the gold standard of tolerance and diversity? And since when did the NFL Players Association and its nearly 200 members who have been charged with felonies in the last decade become the arbiter of moral wholesomeness?
The National Football League was the last major professional sports organization to hire a black coach. Art Shell was hired in 1988 to coach the Oakland Raiders. It took them 4 years to hire a second - Dennis Green of the Vikings. All told, there have been 10 African American coaches in the entire history of the league. That compares to 49 black coaches in NBA history and 22 in Major League baseball.
And these guys are worried about Limbaugh?
Moran went on to compare Rush's most controversial (actual) quotes with racially charged incidents in the NFL that failed to draw even half as much attention. While both sides of the debate were slinging mud, Moran defended Rush while conceding the radio host's faults. More importantly, the blogger did a better job of ferreting out real racism than many liberals did. In this predictable and unsubstantial partisan slap-fight, Moran made a legitimate and serious point about racism in the NFL.
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