Not only was the late Rush Limbaugh politically incorrect about presidents and politics, he was also reviled by left-wing sports media for his commentaries about football and the COVID-19 virus.
Jesse Spector, of the appropriately named Deadspin blog, tore into Limbaugh Wednesday – especially for his past remarks on former NFL quarterbacks Donovan McNabb and Colin Kaepernick, both of whom are African American.
Spector called Limbaugh “a terrible human being whose hate the world is better off not having in it. That includes the sports world, which at least did its best to expel Limbaugh years before the physical world finally did.”
For four weeks in 2003, Limbaugh was an analyst on ESPN’s NFL pregame show, which ended because he dared criticize the media for elevating McNabb, the Philadelphia Eagles quarterback, to a level he felt was undeserved. The remarks, below, “weren’t just racist, but remarkably stupid football analysis,” Spector said. Here’s what Rush said at the time about McNabb.:
“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. 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.”
Spector defends McNabb as a four-time NFL all-star with nine playoff wins, while admitting the Eagles were only ranked in the league’s top 10 offensively three times with McNabb at quarterback. Andy Reid coached that Eagles team, and he says McNabb is deserving of the Hall of Fame. That’s exactly what a coach would be expected to say about his quarterback.
So who’s right about McNabb’s talent, Limbaugh or Spector?
Statistically, McNabb was a fair-to-midland quarterback. In 13 pro seasons, he threw 234 TD passes, an average of just 18 per season average. He averaged 223 passing yards per game, which wouldn’t even crack the league’s top 20 this past season. His stats are thin and unremarkable, and one can easily conclude his career was nothing special and the media over-rated him.
Spector also takes issue with Limbaugh's stance against Kaepernick. In 2016, El Rushbo spoke of “the folly and selfishness of Colin Kaepernick. The American people are not going to sit by idly and watch the stage of the National Football League stolen and used for personal political purposes.” Spector counters this with a gripe about the U.S. military spending money to promote service to country at NFL games as unacceptable politics.
Through the years, Limbaugh frequently spoke of Kaepernick’s radicalism, revealing himself to Spector as a top sports moron. One of Limbaugh’s comments went:
“Apparently, NFL teams are not clamoring to offer Colin Kaepernick a job. The sports drive-by media is devastated. They think the Steelers should be on the phone to Kaepernick right now.”
In the video below, Limbaugh spoke about how disappointed he was that the NFL was driving away its fan base:
Limbaugh also got tattooed by Spector over his remarks on sports and COVID-19. Spector is with those who want everything locked down.
On the other hand, Limbaugh said the shutdown of sports is “a sad, sad thing, and it’s because of the politicization of so much and it’s because of the dominance of wimp politics — which is liberalism — that is infecting everything. A bunch of wimps disguised as compassionate, concerned, sensitive people is simplifying practically everything they can get their political hands on.”
Spector closed the despicable rant by further defaming Limbaugh’s character, stating his “politics helped lead to hundreds of thousands of Americans’ deaths, thankfully (he) can’t get his political hands on anything now.”
If ever there were an appropriately named left-wing blog, it’s Deadspin, which is spinning hatred toward the dead.
