In a piece I wrote the other day regarding Rush Limbaugh potentially getting in on the bid of Dave Checketts to buy the majority stake of the St. Louis Rams NFL franchise, I said that I hoped that the NFL would give Limbaugh a fair shake instead of folding up shop like a small town at dusk.

It never got that far. 

Limbaugh was dropped by Checketts publicly Wednesday after Jim Irsay first said he wouldn't vote for a proposal that he was a part of, along with massive back and forth hate mongering between Al Sharpton, Jesse Jackson and Limbaugh.  Roger Goodell weighed in about the thoughts of Limbaugh joining the league, and Mavericks owner Mark Cuban, who has racked up nearly $2 million in fines since taking over the team, has made the statement on his blog that the league should be "terrified" not of what he would say now, but what he would say after he was part owner of the club.

Such blatant misrepresentation and stirring of the racism pot is far more effective than any appetite suppressant on the market.  In a day that the media is as ubiquitous as the sun in the sky, how could some of these comments be attributed when they were never said? 

Yes, Limbaugh has been controversial at times, including his comment a couple years ago regarding the actions of the Patriots and Chargers when he stated that:

"Let me put it to you this way," ... "The NFL often looks like a game between the Bloods and the Crips without any weapons. There, I said it."

Considering that if Sharpton or Jackson were to go and try to buy into a franchise, would anyone speak out?  If they did, would the league listen?  Or would it be overlooked due to the minority issue?  All three men can be controversial and divisive, but to exclude Limbaugh for exercising his right as an American under the First Amendment with free speech is ludicrous.  This puts a black eye on the NFL, the media for their ineffectiveness at fact checking and due diligence, current owners for speaking out before an actual final offer was put on the table, and Goodell for speaking out in a negative way publicly as well.

Will Limbaugh come out swinging at Checketts?  Certainly a possibility, since he has claimed that Checketts stated he was vetted and cleared to be a part of the group by the league months ago.  It sounds like Marshall Faulk might be approached to take that slot potentially.  Will he go after the NFL?  Rather pointless.  The league has the financial pockets, the power, the stability and the ability to string things along to garner a favorable verdict.   It will be interesting to see if any of the main constituents in this battle resurface any time soon.