Don Imus under fire for racist Rutgers remarks

Jet, April 23, 2007 by Clarence Waldron

Black leaders are outraged by racist comments made by shock jock Don Imus against women's basketball teams from Rutgers and Tennessee and are demanding that he be fired.

The WFAN radio personality called the women's basketball team "nappy-headed hos" during a radio interview simulcast on MSNBC. Imus' producer Bernard McGuirk went on to call the team "jigaboos."

Rutgers was playing Tennessee during the NCAA championship.

Imus described the team as "some rough girls from Rutgers. They got tattoos." He then called them "some nappy-headed hos." His producer also compared the Rutgers team to Tennessee as "the jigaboos versus the wannabes."

The National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ), the largest organization of journalists of color, is demanding that Imus be fired.

"Has he lost his mind?" asked NABJ President Bryan Monroe. "Those comments were beyond offensive. Imus needs to be fired. Today."

Barbara Clara, NABJ vice president, said: "NABJ strives to dispel stereotypes and promote accurate portrayals of minorities in the media. We find this characterization of these young Black women offensive and hateful." She said that Imus has an obligation as a broadcaster to "speak with a responsible voice."

Imus issued an apology that was posted on the MSNBC Web site. "I want to take a moment to apologize for an insensitive and ill-conceived remark we made the other morning regarding the Rutgers women's basketball team ... It was completely inappropriate, and we can understand why people were offended. Our characterization was thoughtless and stupid, and we are sorry."

NCAA President Myles Brand and Rutgers University Richard L. McCormick also expressed outrage.

"The NCAA and Rutgers University are offended by the insults on MSNBC's Don Imus program toward the 10 young women on the Rutgers basketball team. It is unconscionable that anyone would use the airways to utter such disregard for the dignity of human beings who have accomplished much and deserve great credit," they said in a joint statement.

A spokesperson for MSNBC said: "While simulcast by MSNBC, 'Imus in the Morning' is not a production of the cable network and is produced by WFAN Radio. As Imus makes clear every day, his views are not those of MSNBC. We regret that his remarks were aired on MSNBC and apologize for these offensive comments."