Imus’ Lack of Class is Nothing New
by Ray Floriani
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. – Kevin Anderson was getting prepared to present the first Maggie Dixon Coach of the Year award at the Metropolitan Writers Dinner on Tuesday. As Anderson spoke about the accomplishments and legacy of the late Army mentor, he couldn’t help but congratulate the Rutgers Women for the outstanding season they had. Anderson then added briefly and to the point, “Don Imus should be fired for his comments.”
Anderson wasn’t getting on a soapbox. But as Athletic Director at Army, you must understand the women’s basketball program is special to him. A class individual and administrator, Ferguson directs and runs his department to benefit all men’s and women’s sports at the US Military Academy. He does have that special place in his heart for women’s basketball. To him, Dixon was not just a fellow employee but, “one of my best friends.” Currently, Anderson is extremely proud of the way Dave Magarity stepped in to successfully guide the program following Dixon’s tragic death. So the verbal attack by Imus was a sensitive and prominent issue that Anderson felt needed addressing, even if only briefly.
In the New York area it is front page news, and around the country it has gained attention. Imus, a long time radio personality (I use that term loosely) made a despicable and hurtful slur against the Rutgers Women’s basketball team. It was said on his morning show on WFAN two days after the Scarlet Knight loss to Tennessee in the NCAA finals. That slur needs no repeating here. It has been mentioned several times in the news and is too distasteful to repeat again.
At a time the Rutgers Women should be enjoying their wonderful accomplishments, they are undergoing anguish and stress. Beyond the interviews, meetings and such are the questions as to why this was said. How can someone they never met make such lurid and distasteful comments. Even deeper, Matee Ajuvon, the outstanding junior guard, told the Star Ledger that the comments, “have scarred me for life.”
Imus has made a career of insulting people – even his studio co-hosts. No one and nothing is sacred. Back in his WNBC days in the Seventies and Eighties, the stories go, he would even berate secretaries or anyone he felt was “below him” in rank. Interestingly enough, in the Eighties, specifically 1985, he was fast to get on the St. John’s bandwagon. The Redmen, with Lou Carnesecca at the helm and Bill Wennington and Chris Mullin on the floor, were “New York’s team”. They spent a good part of the year ranked second in the nation. They wound up making the Final Four and were mentioned, or it should be said, worshipped, on Imus’ show. One can’t totally blame him, as frequent reports about St. John’s wouldn’t hurt ratings and maybe St. John’s was indeed Imus’ favorite. (Well, they were while they won.)
With Rutgers it is still astounding. Saying that about any team or group of women is disgraceful. But it’s puzzling and tragic to consider how Imus can cross the line against specific people he never met. The Rutgers women not only win basketball games, they go to class, excel and simply represent their school, communities and families in an outstanding manner. They are role models to numerous grade and high school students. In these days of almost scripted post-game interviews, the Rutgers players are witty, thorough, polite and always provide you with great insight. Even after losses, the words still flow and politeness is there, only the tone may be subdued. Away from the interview room I have been fortunate to meet Essence Carson and Heather Zurich. Both are wonderful young ladies and just a pleasure to speak with.
Thankfully, the situation is being addressed. The NAACP and women’s groups have spoken out. New Jersey Governor Jon Corzine, who followed Rutgers in the Final Four at Cleveland, met with the Rutgers team and voiced his displeasure. Major advertisers as such Home Depot, General Motors, Staples and American Express have pulled the plug on Imus. His syndicated show is cancelled, and after being handed a two-week suspension without pay, CBS then fired him late Thursday afternoon.
The Rutgers women’s team granted Imus an opportunity to meet with them. They were not looking for an apology, though it’s doubtful that one could heal the wounds. They simply want a dialogue, a forum and opportunity to be heard. Give them a world of credit. C. Vivian Stringer and the Rutgers women’s basketball program owe Imus nothing. They could have said, “no thanks”. But they are a class group. If nothing else, maybe Mr. Imus will walk away from that meeting finally learning what true class is.
