Don Imus says new racial comment was ‘misunderstood’
Months after returning to the air with a pledge to mend the wounds caused by his comments about a women’s basketball team, radio broadcaster Don Imus is once again defending an on-air remark considered racial.
During an on-air conversation yesterday (Monday) about the arrests of suspended Dallas Cowboys cornerback Adam (Pacman) Jones, Imus asked, “What color is he?”
Told by sports announcer Warner Wolf that Jones, is “African-American,” Imus responded: “There you go. Now we know”.
The segment did appear to have a common theme with earlier segments, as Imus asked about the race of Rocco Mediate while discussing Tiger Woods winning the US Open. Perhaps Imus though should just drop the race questions after all he has been through?
After a firestorm of criticism that ensued, Imus said Monday that he had been misunderstood.
Imus said in a statement released by his spokesman: “I meant that he was being picked on because he’s black. What people should be outraged about is that they arrest blacks for no reason. I mean, there’s no reason to arrest this kid six times.“
WABC and Citadel Broadcasting Corp. Vice President Phil Boyce said Imus would explain his comments on his Tuesday morning show and said it was unlikely the broadcasters would take disciplinary action.
