Imus faces new questions
NEW YORK (AP) -June 24, 2008 Months after a career resurrection and a pledge to mend the
wounds caused by his remark about a women's basketball team, Imus
again drew criticism for racial comments made on his broadcast.
During a conversation Monday about the arrests of suspended
Dallas Cowboys cornerback Adam Jones, Imus asked, "What color is
he?"
Told by sports announcer Warner Wolf that Jones, who used to be
nicknamed Pacman, is "African-American," Imus responded: "There
you go. Now we know."
Later Monday, Imus responded to criticism of his comments,
saying he had been misunderstood.
"I meant that he was being picked on because he's black," Imus
said in a statement released by his spokesman.
The on-air exchange came six months after Imus' return to work
on a new show on WABC-AM following his firing from MSNBC and CBS
Radio for making a racially and sexually charged comment about the
Rutgers University women's basketball team. When he returned to
work, Imus gave a lengthy on-air apology and pledged to use his new
show to foster an open dialogue on race relations.
WABC and Citadel Broadcasting Corp. Vice President Phil Boyce
said Imus would explain his latest comments on his Tuesday morning
show and said it was unlikely the broadcasters would take
disciplinary action against him.
Jones told The Dallas Morning News in Tuesday editions that he
was upset by Imus' comments and plans to pray for the controversial
radio personality.
"I'm truly upset about the comments," Jones said. "Obviously
Mr. Imus has problems with African-Americans. I'm upset, and I hope
the station he works for handles it accordingly. I will pray for
him."
Earlier Monday, before Imus explained his words, civil rights
leader Al Sharpton criticized the remark, saying his National
Action Network would look into it. Sharpton was one of the chief
critics who successfully pushed for Imus' firing from his televised
radio show in April 2007.
"I find the inference of his remark disturbing because it plays
into stereotypes," he said in a statement. "We will determine in
the next day or so whether or not his remark warrants direct action
on our part."
Boyce said Imus had explained himself in a private conversation
Monday afternoon and the explanation was satisfactory. "I think
some people may be misunderstanding what he meant," Boyce said.
Rutgers women's basketball spokeswoman Stacey Brann said there
was "no need to revisit the past" and wouldn't comment further.
On Monday's show, Imus and Wolf were discussing Jones' request
Saturday that people stop using his nickname. Wolf explained Jones
was suspended from the NFL following a shooting at a Las Vegas
nightclub, and he added that Jones had been "arrested six times
since being drafted by Tennessee in 2005."
Imus' next words were, "What color is he?"