Let me not be the one to judge who should and who should not make my
skin crawl as a potential NFL owner. Let's hear the stewards of
professional football speak for themselves...


BOSTON -- Rush Limbaugh's bid to buy the St. Louis Rams ran into
opposition within the NFL on Tuesday, when Colts owner Jim Irsay vowed
to vote against him and commissioner Roger Goodell said the
conservative commentator's "divisive" comments would not be tolerated
from any NFL insider.

"I, myself, couldn't even consider voting for him," Irsay said at an
owners meetings. "When there are comments that have been made that are
inappropriate, incendiary and insensitive ... our words do damage, and
it's something that we don't need."

Limbaugh has long been a hero of conservatives and villain to the
left, thriving on his place in the political spectrum while
establishing himself as one of the most successful broadcasters in
history. But the NFL tries to avoid controversy, as Limbaugh learned
in 2003 when he was forced to resign from ESPN's Sunday Night Football
broadcast after saying of Philadelphia's Donovan McNabb: "I think what
we've had here is a little social concern in the NFL. The media has
been very desirous that a black quarterback do well."

Goodell repeatedly distanced the league from Limbaugh's statements on
Tuesday, calling them "polarizing comments that we don't think reflect
accurately on the NFL or our players."

"I have said many times before that we are all held to a higher
standard here," the commissioner said. "I think divisive comments are
not what the NFL is all about. I would not want to see those kind of
comments from people who are in a responsible position within the NFL.
No. Absolutely not."

According to transcripts posted on his Web site, in 2007 Limbaugh also
said: "The NFL all too often looks like a game between the Bloods and
the Crips without any weapons. There, I said it." That comment, and
others, resurfaced this month when he revealed he is teaming with St.
Louis Blues owner Dave Checketts to bid on the Rams.