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Imus says he's defending, not offending 'Pacman' Jones


NEW YORK (CNN) -- Radio host Don Imus said Tuesday he was making "a sarcastic point" that police often unfairly target blacks when he asked about Adam "Pacman" Jones' race on his show.


Don Imus appears on the Rev. Al Sharpton's radio show in April 2007 after making his last controversial remark.

1 of 2 Imus, who lost his job last year after comments on the Rutgers University women's basketball team, said the latest controversy is fueled by people who are out to get him.

"No man has more discussions about race than I have," he said. "Why not report on that? I know some people want to get me, but this is ridiculous."

Imus pointed out that his show has a black producer and two black co-hosts.

Jones, a Dallas Cowboys defensive back who has had run-ins with the law and is serving a suspension from the National Football League, recently announced he wanted to be known by his real name, Adam or Mr. Jones, rather than his nickname.

Jones said his decision is an attempt to disassociate himself with his well-chronicled history of trouble.

The Imus controversy erupted Monday morning when sportscaster Warner Wolf told Imus that Jones wanted to swap monikers. Watch Imus explain he was defending black people »

"He's been arrested six times since being drafted by Tennessee in 2005," Wolf said.

"He's African-American," Wolf responded.

"Well, there you go," Imus said. "Now we know."

During his Tuesday morning show, the radio host said Jones was arrested six times because police were "picking on him."

"He's a football player. He is a lovely kid. He was out there having fun," Imus said

Imus said he was defending blacks with his Monday remarks.

"What people should be outraged about is that they arrest blacks for no reason, and I mean there's no reason to arrest this kid six times," he said. "They shoot blacks for no reason."

WABC and Citadel Broadcasting Corp. Vice President Phil Boyce told The New York Times it was unlikely Imus would face disciplinary action.

The Rev. Al Sharpton, who last year called for Imus' firing over the Rutgers comments, said Tuesday that "I hope he meant what he said," referring to Imus' explanation.

But Sharpton said civil rights groups, including one that he leads, still would be taking a close look at the situation, adding it would be "less than responsible" not to question Imus about Monday's comment and Tuesday's explanation. Watch Sharpton's reaction to Imus' explanation. »

"If now Imus is saying he's joined the ranks of those that are raising the question of racial disparity in the criminal justice system, then he's taking a correct position. I don't have any record of him saying that in the past," Sharpton said.

Sharpton said he thought Monday's remark was disturbing "given Imus' background and his track record."

"Clearly, he did not [immediately] clarify what he meant. He left it out there," Sharpton said.

The NFL suspended Jones in April 2007, weeks after an incident at a Las Vegas, Nevada, strip club in which Jones allegedly got into an altercation with a exotic dancer and security guard. Witnesses said a member of Jones' entourage later returned to the club and fired a gun into the crowd.

In addition to Jones' six arrests, The Associated Press reported that he has been involved in 12 incidents requiring police intervention since 2005.

The Tennessee Titans traded Jones to the Dallas Cowboys earlier this year, and the defensive back is waiting to hear if he'll be reinstated to the NFL.

Known for decades for his outspoken comments and off-color humor, Imus was fired by CBS Radio over his comments about the Rutgers women's basketball team in April 2007.

He called the Scarlet Knights "tough girls" and "nappy-headed 'hos" during a national broadcast a day after the team lost the NCAA championship to the University of Tennessee Lady Volunteers.

General Electric-owned cable network MSNBC, which simulcast the show, also canceled the program. Imus later apologized to the Rutgers team, which voted to accept his apology.


In August, Imus and his former employer reached a settlement over his dismissal, with both sides announcing they had "mutually agreed to settle claims that each had against the other." They did not disclose details of the settlement.

ceilirose

He just needs to retire and go away. Back to his ranch wherever it is.

sunnykerr

I had never heard of this man before his earlier comments... but isn't he known for making this kind of unfortunate remarks? From what I gathered the last time around, his whole schtick revolves around "pushing the enveloppe," whatever that may mean.

vc318

This guy never learns. Does he think he is doing African Americans a favor by making the comment he made?

Uh Blah

Well I've already stated in reference to the Rutgers incident that the uproar was completely UNneccesary. The intent was to make a joke. His explanation was more troublesome IMO. His program is intended for sattire not to educate or enlighten. If you find what he said offensive then why aren't you going after 90% of the comedians in this country? His program WAS far more outlandish in the 80s & 90s when he was actually popular. So what does that say? It tells me that this country is reverting back to the days before the 1960s. The even bigger problem is the double standard. A black man jokes about whitey & he makes millions. But for Imus it costs him his job.

ceilirose

I've never understood his humor on anything but that's just preference. Why he's made millions is beyond me. He's better than Howard Stern though. When Stern had his show in the 90's all I can remember is him asking women to lift their blouses up.

Uh Blah

I don't listen to Imus now, but I remember in the 90s he would do bits using an impression of Bill Clinton, Rush Limbaugh, Richard Nixon & other political figures. I can recell specifically a song in which he took from Garth Brooks' Friends in Low Places & called it Friends with White Faces. The lyrics were essentially a KKK reference using Rush's impression.

TheAngel

Why is it worse to be racist than it is to be sexist or homophobic. I mean, comedians have been making sexist, homophobic, and racist comments their entire careers and have never been fired or had the kind of backlash this guy has. Like it was said, look at Howard Stern, who says a number of terrible things about women. I don't agree with any of it, I don't agree with what Imus said, but why is what he said so much worse than what so many other people have said in their careers?

sunnykerr

I don't think it's worse to be racist than it is to be homophobic or sexist, but I do think the latter two are considered more socially acceptable.

Hey, we all know there's a fairly significant portion of the general population who takes pride in being homophobic. And I'm not talking about the Fred Phelps or Jerry Falwells of this world per se. But a lot of people from various forms of religious belief honestly think it is morally wrong to be gay. So, you know, I wouldn't see them batting an eyelash at someone making a homophobic joke, unless it were to be offended at being linked with gays.

As for sexism... again, not that it's right, but it's always been part and parcel of our society. Most people, even femninists, seem to agree that there are differences between the genders. It doesn't take too much of a leap to go from that to making jokes based on those differences.

And, you know, you'll always have a crowd who'll argue that you can't keep people from making silly jokes when they don't mean anything mean by it. And that you can't expect everyone to be completely on the straight and narrow about all of that.

And the truth of it is that no woman or no gay person was ever kidnapped from their family, town or country; put on a boat against their will, in disgusting quarters; chained and shackled, starved and abused; only to be forced to do hard labour their whole lives; stripped and branded like livestocked; sold away from family members; hung for whispers and malicious gossip; flogged for entertainment; murdered for wanting their God-given equality. As far as I know.

I don't mean to diminish the real struggles of women the world over and of gay people to this day. I just think slavery is the worst thing we've ever done, as a species.

Uh Blah

The double standard goes against the whole ideal of equality & until we get there we're never going to be able to move forward.

sunnykerr

I don't think it's a double standard to be aware of history at all.

And I certainly don't think that treating racism as a serious offence is in any violation of equality.

We're not equal only if we all accept to be ridiculed equally, mocked equally, laughed at equally or even just teased equally. We don't have the same cultural history. It doesn't mean one human being isn't just as valuable as the next one. It just means that we recognize that certain so-called jokes just aren't funny in certain circumstances.

Any example I can come up with off the top of my head only brings up stupid comparisons. But all I mean to say is that saying that the history of racism is different than the history of sexism or of homophobia or xenophobia or whatever other kind of narrow-minded attitudes we, as a society, have held and sometimes still hold isn't an assault on equality. It's recognizing that our history is complex and requires a common-sense approach.

Uh Blah

The double standard I'm refering to is essentially giving only minorities a license to make racist remarks/jokes. And again we're simply talking about remarks/jokes not acts of hate here.

sunnykerr

I don't know... why would anyone want to make racist jokes?

Either way, if that's a double standard, then I'm fine with it. It's people with my complexion that, once upon a time, decided it was a swell idea to kidnap people with their complexion and chain them up and drag them to a lifetime of endentured servitude and hard labour. And then it was people with my complexion who decided they shouldn't be allowed to vote. I feel no need to make racist jokes. I don't really find them funny either.

All I know is, for me, the line is clear. I have no problems with not crossing it.

Uh Blah

How can you be fine with it? You know not all white people were slave owners. Just like not all blacks were slaves. This idea that we should just accept things the way they are is just wrong. We don't segregate for a reason. We don't make blacks sit at the back of the bus for a reason. So Chris Rock can call me a cracker and he gets to host the Oscars, but the moment I say the N word my livelyhood is in jeopardy?

vc318

Some African Americans seem to think they're owed the right to use the "N" word amongst their friends and so forth and that's supposedly okay. I don't get as a black person why would you want such an insensitive word thrown your way to mean "friend" or "pal." This is what the years of fighting for respect comes down to? I can't imagine what Martin Luther King would say now. Then again, the words exchanged between the Latin community is no better. But back to Imus, he thinks that by counting out the number of Black employees he has on staff and stating that Blacks are always arrested more than other groups doesn't make things better or rectify his character. He might as well just come out and say, "Hey I understand Black people because I have Black friends."