CBS Director Hopes Imus Will Be Fired
Wednesday April 11, 1:26 pm ET
By David Crary, AP National Writer
Ex-NAACP Head Now on CBS Board Hopes Company Will Fire Don Imus
NEW YORK (AP) -- Bruce Gordon, former head of the NAACP and a director of CBS Corp., said Wednesday the broadcasting company needs a "zero tolerance policy" on racism and hopes talk-show host Don Imus is fired for his demeaning remarks about the mostly black Rutgers women's basketball team.
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"He's crossed the line, he's violated our community," Gordon said in a telephone interview with The Associated Press. "He needs to face the consequence of that violation."
Gordon, a longtime telecommunications executive, stepped down in March after 19 months as head of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, one of the foremost U.S. civil rights organizations.
He said he had spoken with CBS chief executive Leslie Moonves and hoped the company, after reviewing the situation, would "make the smart decision" by firing Imus rather than letting him return to the air at the end of a two-week suspension beginning next Monday.
"We should have a zero tolerance policy when it comes to what I see as irresponsible, racist behavior," Gordon said. "The Imus comments go beyond humor. Maybe he thought it was funny, but that's not what occurred. There has to be a consequence for that behavior."
Imus triggered the uproar on his April 4 show, when he referred to the Rutgers players as "nappy-headed hos." His comments have been widely denounced by civil rights and women's groups, and two sponsors, Staples Inc. and Procter & Gamble Co., have pulled their advertising from the radio show.
Gordon said that as a matter of principle, firing Imus should be an easy decision to make, though he respects the right of CBS leadership to consider all factors, including legal and financial repercussions.
"When I look at it from my position as a director, where my responsibility is to represent the best interest of the shareholders, it's more complex," Gordon said. "But at the end of the day, the image of CBS is at risk. ... the ad revenue of CBS could be at risk."
"What I expect is for management to take the next two weeks to do their homework," he said. "I hope that the result of their due diligence is to terminate Don Imus."
The CBS board has 13 members. A corporate spokesman declined comment on Gordon's remarks.
The radio show originates from WFAN-AM in New York City and is syndicated nationally by Westwood One, both of which are managed by CBS Corp. MSNBC, which simulcasts the show on cable and is a part of NBC Universal, says it will watch to see whether Imus changes the tenor of future programs.
The 10 members of the Rutgers team spoke publicly for the first time Tuesday about the on-air comments, made the day after the team lost the NCAA championship game to Tennessee.
Some of them wiped away tears as their coach, C. Vivian Stringer, criticized Imus for "racist and sexist remarks that are deplorable, despicable, abominable and unconscionable." The women, eight of whom are black, called his comments insensitive and hurtful.
The women agreed, however, to meet with Imus privately next Tuesday and hear his explanation. They held back from saying whether they'd accept Imus' apologies or passing judgment on whether a two-week suspension imposed by CBS Radio and MSNBC was sufficient.
Several players said they wanted to ask him why he would make such thoughtless statements.
Junior forward Essence Carson said she had done some research on Imus and his past inflammatory and derogatory statements about other people.
"Just knowing that this has happened time and time before, I felt that it might be time to make a stand," she said Wednesday on NBC's "Today" show.
"He doesn't know who we are as people," Carson said. "That's why we are just so appalled with his insensitive remarks, not only about African-American women, but about women as a whole."
Gordon said he was unimpressed by defenders of Imus who depict him as a well-meaning commentator who mistakenly went too far.
"The defense that he is a nice guy is irrelevant," Gordon said. "The people to be concerned about are the nice women at Rutgers University who continue even in this face of this insult to carry themselves with dignity."
Imus has apologized repeatedly for his comments. He said Tuesday he hadn't been thinking when making a joke that went "way too far." He also said that those who called for his firing without knowing him, his philanthropic work or what his show was about would be making an "ill-informed" choice.
Associated Press writers David Bauder in New York and Rebecca Santana in Piscataway, N.J., contributed to this report.