Al Sharpton Considering Action on Don Imus Adam Jones Remarks

This morning Don Imus responded to a report on his radio show about Dallas Cowboys cornerback Adam Jones' legal troubles by asking, "What color is he."

Within hours, Al Sharpton had issued this statement:

"I find the inference of his remark disturbing because it plays into stereotypes. Any use of stereotypes is always counterproductive. We will determine in the next day or so whether or not his remark warrants direct action on our part as we did in April of last year."

The action in April of last year that Sharpton refers to was his group's organized boycott of Imus and his sponsors, which eventually resulted in the cancellation of Imus in the Morning. He was off the air for several months before ABC Radio Networks brought him back late last year.

UPDATE: Don Imus says, "I meant he was being picked on because he's black".
UPDATE 2: Don Imus claims he was defending Adam "Pacman" Jones against racist cops.

Racism and Sports

Mauricia Grant, pictured here working during the Stater Bros 300 in 2006, is suing NASCAR for $225 million, alleging racial and sexual discrimination, sexual harassment and wrongful termination. Click through to see other racially charged incidents from recent sports history.

Mike Basso, US Presswire

In a newspaper nterview in April, Los Angeles Angels star Torii Hunter said he had heard racial taunts from Red Sox fans at Fenway Park in the past.

Lisa Blumenfeld, Getty Images

Kosuke Fukudome has become a sensation in his first season in Chicago, but shirts emblazoned with a stereotypical caricature of Asians and the words "Horry Kow" (a play on ex-Cubs announcer Harry Caray's home run call) offended the Japanese outfielder.

Nam Y. Huh, AP

Earlier this year Golf Channel analyst Kelly Tilghman said on air that other golfers should "lynch [Tiger Woods] in a back alley" to better compete with him. In the aftermath, Golfweek Magazine ran a cover with a hanging noose, for which editor Dave Seanor was fired.

Golfweek / AP

Radio host Don Imus caused a stir in 2007 when he referred to members of the Rutgers women's basketball team as "nappy-headed hos." CBS canceled his long-running show 'Imus in the Morning,' but he returned to airwaves with ABC later in the year.

Spencer Platt, Getty Images

Rush Limbaugh was hired as a commentator for ESPN's NFL pre-game show Sunday Countdown, but he lasted only a few weeks after implying that Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb received great praise mostly because he was black.

Getty Images

Former golfer and current CBS commentator Bobby Clampett made waves at this year's Masters when he referred to golfer Liang Wen-Chong as "the Chinaman" on air.

Mike Powell, Allsport / Getty Images

African soccer players, like Cameroon international Samuel Eto'o, are often the targets of racially charged taunts in Spain. Fans of Real Zaragoza made monkey-like chants at the Barcelona striker during a 2005 match, and he nearly walked off the pitch during a match against the club the next season.

Phillippe Desmazes, AFP / Getty Images

In an interview with HBO's Real Sports last summer, former Yankees outfielder Gary Sheffield claimed that manager Joe Torre gave white players preferential treatment during his time in New York and said that biracial shortstop Derek Jeter wasn't "all the way black."

Mark Mainz, Getty Images

John Rocker's inflammatory comments in a 2000 Sports Illustrated article made him one of the most despised athletes in recent memory. Rocker described riding the New York subway as "looking like you're riding through Beirut next to some kid with purple hair, next to some queer with AIDS."

Matt Campbell, AFP / Getty Images

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 12)

6-23-2008 @ 7:23PM

arthur said...

Who is sharpton? A parasite ,living off the donations of others. Imus can say what he wants,this is America. When Jesse Jackson called New york 'HYMIETOWN" what happened to him. Is it a one way street? The truth is the truth.Blacks are only 15% of the population but commit 80% of the crime.

6-23-2008 @ 7:25PM

joe fonz said...

i guess if johnny miller made that remark about tiger woods he would've been fired.i guess there is a double standard for who people like better!

Audrey Kirk said...

Al Sharpton needs to really stop! I am a black american and I truly enjoyed Don Imus, as a matter of fact, it was Imus who actually attracted me to morning tv and we really need him during this election, but no thanks to Al Sharpton and folks like him who only speak up and/or out when its something in it for them, now " we the people" are truly lost without Don and now no Tim!

6-23-2008 @ 7:28PM

Kate said...

Don Imus is an ignorant, pompous ass, who's comments should be ignored. Don't listen, and he'll soon go away.

6-23-2008 @ 7:33PM

krock2219 said...

Yeah al sharpton needs to go away. Imus speaks the truth!! check the stats. Sorry african americans

6-23-2008 @ 7:46PM

Bruce MacKinnon said...

Someone, Please get Imus off the air. His arrogance, condescention, and bigotry is just plain boring. Ad he thinks black athletes have a problem. How about a washed up (recovering?) alcoholic-drug addict? He may be sober but he's still drunk or high or both.

6-23-2008 @ 7:29PM

Carroll said...

I'm SICK of Sharpton and his kind! Get the REAL story from Jesse Lee Peterson, Clarence Thomas, Honorable James David Manning, etc. SO, now "Pacman" wants to "drop" his nickname because of such extensive BAD publicity! WHAT A LOSER!

6-23-2008 @ 8:26PM

wryoung727 said...

Please Aurther ! Blacks don't commit 80% of crimes, watch your local news.Idiot.

Susan said...

Imus should know better and should be gone for good. Come on, that was inappropriate, if I had said that at work someone would have called me on it. My grandkids would have called me on it, too and they are 9 and 12 years old!

6-23-2008 @ 7:39PM

Andre said...

Blacks commit 80% of crimes? What crimes? Columbine? You idiot, Arthur, are we Charles Manson? Timothy McVeigh? Jeffrey Dahmer? Are we ordering the killings of millions of innocent women and children in Iraq? Did we kill JFK? RFK? Did we hang innocent people from trees based on race? Was slave keeping our legacy? Be careful about the mess you're shoveling, fool!

Dre'

6-23-2008 @ 7:34PM

nick colly said...

everytime , i hear the names of Al Sharption
and Jesse Jackson , I want throw up .

6-23-2008 @ 7:35PM

UAL_FlyGal said...

I ADORE Al Sharpton !! Dumb Imus MUST BE banned ... FOR LIFE!!!

6-23-2008 @ 7:38PM

KAREN said...

In my opinion, Imus is no different then Stern. They're "shock jocks" and everyone knows that "shock jocks" say whatever they want, whenever they want just to get the reaction they do...and they get PAID to do it. I do NOT condone this; you'd think they would show a little decorum to the general public, but that's not what they're about. Sharpton, on the other hand, as Mr. Arthur below said, is a man living off the donations of others. They all stir up trouble ("shock jocks and activists like Sharpton). People that do these kinds of things (I speak of EVERYONE that feels the need to stir up the community like they do) need to quit thinking that they or their causes are more important than others'. We never used to be like that.

Eleanor Goldstein said...

I am white and I find Don Imus to be a smug person who feels he can get away with whatever he says on the air. He has made many other slurs toward other races, including mine which happens to be Jewish. I find him to be offensive to the human race!

6-26-2008 @ 6:10PM

phanntom said...

Sharpton weighing in is no surprise. He and the Irreverend Jackson are quickly being relagated to the bleacher seats. All their rhetoric has been wiped out with a black winning the nomination and maybe the White House. It's going to be hard for them to sell their blather and have anyone listen. The fact that we are going to have a black in the race kind of puts racism on the back burner...with blacks only making up 12% of the population, it meant he had to be elected by whites.

6-23-2008 @ 7:40PM

sandy said...

Reverend Sharpton is one of the biggest racist in
history. It makes it worse because he is supposed
to be a man of God. I would not listen to a word
he had to say about anything.

6-23-2008 @ 7:42PM

Reverend Jim said...

Sharpton is a joke.

6-28-2008 @ 12:42PM

shirley ogle said...

why are you always makeing such big deal about what people say about black people what you say about those white people they dont make anything of it.God loves all of us