Limbaugh Reacts to End of Ownership Group Involvement

Yesterday, Dave Checketts dropped Rush Limbaugh from the ownership group hoping to purchase the St. Louis Rams. Today, on his syndicated radio show, Limbaugh reacted, saying that Checketts approached him, and assured Limbaugh that he’d be ready for any backlash that resulted.

“I said to him at this meeting, ‘Are you aware of the firestorm?’ ” Limbaugh said on his show. “He said: ‘Believe me, I wouldn’t have approached you if I hadn’t taken care of that, if I had not cleared your involvement with people at the highest levels of the National Football League.’ He gave me a couple of names, pretty high up. Led me to believe it was all handled. And he was fully prepared for what was going to happen.”

When news of Limbaugh’s involvement leaked last week, Limbaugh said that he again had asked Checketts if he was prepared for the controversy, and that Checketts had assured him he was. Through a spokesman, Checketts had no comment on Limbaugh’s statements on Thursday.

But on Tuesday evening, hours after Commissioner Roger Goodell cast doubt on Limbaugh’s viability as a potential owner by saying he would not want divisive comments coming from someone in a responsible position in the N.F.L., Checketts called Limbaugh and asked him to withdraw.

“‘I feel terrible about this, but we can’t go forward with you in the group,’” Limbaugh said Checketts told him.

Limbaugh refused to quit, so Checketts essentially had to fire him from the group. “To make me poster boy, it’s designed to intimidate the owners, say, ‘We’re running the league, not you.’”