Don Imus is in the hotseat after he, his executive producer and a sports reporter dissed the Rutgers University women's team during his April 4 MSNBC simulcast radio show 'Imus In The Morning'.
After executive producer Bernard McGuirk referred to them as 'hardcore hos' and also compared the two teams to “the Jigaboos vs. the Wannabes” from the Spike Lee School Daze movie, Imus chimed in with his comments.
From the April 4 edition of MSNBC's Imus in the Morning:
IMUS: So, I watched the basketball game last night between -- a little bit of Rutgers and Tennessee, the women's final.
ROSENBERG: Yeah, Tennessee won last night -- seventh championship for [Tennessee coach] Pat Summitt, I-Man. They beat Rutgers by 13 points.
IMUS: That's some rough girls from Rutgers. Man, they got tattoos and --
McGUIRK: Some hard-core hos.
IMUS: That's some nappy-headed hos there. I'm gonna tell you that now, man, that's some -- woo. And the girls from Tennessee, they all look cute, you know, so, like -- kinda like -- I don't know.
McGUIRK: A Spike Lee thing.
IMUS: Yeah.
McGUIRK: The Jigaboos vs. the Wannabes -- that movie that he had.
IMUS: Yeah, it was a tough --
McCORD: Do The Right Thing.
McGUIRK: Yeah, yeah, yeah.
IMUS: I don't know if I'd have wanted to beat Rutgers or not, but they did, right?
ROSENBERG: It was a tough watch. The more I look at Rutgers, they look exactly like the Toronto Raptors.
IMUS: Well, I guess, yeah.
RUFFINO: Only tougher.
McGUIRK: The [Memphis] Grizzlies would be more appropriate.
The National Association of Black Journalists called for an apology from Imus, encouraging all journalists to boycott his show until an apology is issued.
“Has he lost his mind?” said NABJ President Bryan Monroe. “Those comments were beyond offensive. Imus needs to be fired. Today.”
Rutgers coach C. Vivian Stringer was also incensed by the comments about her team, which has eight African-American and two white members.
"I am deeply saddened and angered by Mr. Imus' statements," said Rutgers coach C. Vivian Stringer. "To serve as a joke of Mr. Imus in such an insensitive manner creates a wedge and makes light of these classy individuals, both as women and as women of color."
In a joint statement, NCAA President Myles Brand and Rutgers President Richard McCormick condemned Imus' slur.
"It is unconscionable that anyone would use the airways to utter such disregard for the dignity of human beings who have accomplished much and deserve great credit," their statement read.
Imus apologized on his Friday show.
