Irvin at it again ...

[bigpern23]

Sorry if this is a D_B, but a buddy of mine pointed this out to me on Profootballtalk.com. Apparently, Michael Irvin believes the only way Tony Romo could be a gifted athlete is if his great-great-great grandma slept with a black man.

Below is some part of a transcript from Irvin's appearance on the Dan Patrick Show. It's a bit choppy, presumably because Irvin tends to be a blathering idiot, but you get the idea.

Said Irvin of Romo: "He doesn't look like he's that type of an athlete. But he is. He is, man. I don't know . . . some brother down in that line somewhere. . . . I don't know who saw what or where, his great-great-great-great-grandma ran over in the 'hood or something went down."

Recognizing the idiocy of Irvin's comments, Dan Patrick said, "Oh, that's the only way he can be a great athlete?"

"That's not the only way, but it's certainly one way," Irvin said. "If great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great grandma pulled one of them studs up out of the barn [and said], 'Come on in here for a second,' you know, and they go out and work in the yard. You know, back in the day."

Irvin likely would claim that he was joking, if the standard that has been applied to white men who have made similar comments were also applied to the Playmaker. He was, after all, laughing through some of his comments.

But does that make the comments any less ignorant, or any less racist? Irvin basically is saying that, when a white man is a great athlete, there must be something out of the ordinary occurring, because the average white man simply can't do the same things that the average black man can.

Can someone please explain to us why Irvin hasn't been fired or suspended or even called out for his comments?

 

[Ben_Hecht]

If a white guy had said this . . .

 

[Oz]

Irvin ought to be fired. Not for these comments, but for generally having nothing smart to say on TV.

 

[Trouser_Buddah]

Irvin ought to be fired. Not for these comments, but for generally having nothing smart to say ever.

Fixed. ;D

 

[jason_whitlock]

Bojangling = Michael Irvin....

I mention all of this in my next AOL column... should be up some time today.

 

[Oz]

Bojangling = Michael Irvin....

I mention all of this in my next AOL column... should be up some time today.

Good man. Tell it like it is, Jason.

 

[bigpern23]

Looking forward to it, J_W. The worst part is that an intelligent broadcaster like Tom Jackson feels the need to try edge closer to Irvin's style rather than sticking to what he's done so well for so long (or perhaps he's being told to. Either way...).

 

[D.Sanchez]

Irvin ought to be fired. Not for these comments, but for generally having nothing smart to say on TV.

But he's the "playmaker"

 

[Lester Bangs]

Can hardly fire somebody for being an idiot when you hired them because they're an idiot.

 

[Guy_Incognito]

He's waiting to see whether Irvin keeps his job.

 

[Fenian_Bastard]

Can hardly fire somebody for being an idiot when you hired them because they're an idiot.

This one's going to keep me up nights.

 

[DisembodiedOwlHead]

Contrast this to the Steve Lyons comments ...

 

[Chuck~Taylor]

Looking forward to it, J_W. The worst part is that an intelligent broadcaster like Tom Jackson feels the need to try edge closer to Irvin's style rather than sticking to what he's done so well for so long (or perhaps he's being told to. Either way...).

Agreed, Tom Jackson was great before Irvin.

 

[Fenian_Bastard]

Bye, Mike.

 

[ifilus]

Can hardly fire somebody for being an idiot when you hired them because they're an idiot.

 

[outofplace]

Actually, yes, you can fire a guy for being an idiot even if you knew what you were getting into. And while it is different coming from Irvin than, for example, Steve Young, it is still a racist comment and it should be enough to get him canned.

 

[silvershadow1981]

telling him to put the pipe down at this point would be totally passe, because it's clear that he never will. Whitney and Bobby send help.

 

[DyePack]

What a ****tard.

 

[Fenian_Bastard]

Can hardly fire somebody for being an idiot when you hired them because they're an idiot.

That slider just got too high in the strike zone, Marv.

 

[stevenash]

well obviously he was intending that blacks are better than whites in sports, but his man T.O and doin **** though , anyways yeah i don't know y he has'nt been fired or suspended, its probably because they think that he';s a good analyst, if they get rid of him ratings may drop, i dunno