The Gumbel Drive-By

For those of you who haven't been paying attention, Bryant "I've Got To Make A Name For Myself Again" Gumbel really went over the line recently. He had a commentary recently where he attacked the head of the NFL Players Association (Gene Upshaw), and it really was a cheap shot. Gumbel talked about him as if he were a dog--literally--by suggesting that Upshaw was the "personal pet" of outgoing NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue and that Tagliabue's successor, Roger Goodell, should make sure that Tags tells him "where he keeps Gene Upshaw's leash."

There's more, but let's stop right here for a moment. This is a case of a high-profile African-American man referring to another one in terms that aren't only derogatory but also loaded with deeper significance. When Gumbel suggests that Upshaw has allowed himself to be kept on a white man's leash, he's heading into a highly sensitive area. It's a short leap from there to "Uncle Tom" territory, an insult that has been hurled at Gumbel often enough that he ought to realize how much it hurts.

In a day and age when there is a huge push for minorities to gain access to management, coaching, and ownership positions in sports, how outrageous is it for a black man to rip another black man who has earned such a respected position? Compared to what Rush Limbaugh said, how is it that Gumbel has not been fired ALREADY from his gig of calling games on the NFL network? If Gumbel stays, then it has to be one of the all-time most incredible double-standards in modern political correctness history.

And somehow, people seem to be backing Gumbel in this mess. It was all just very fascinating. Sort of sad, though, that a good man, who has done a good job, and is black, gets very little support when there’s a drive-by black-on-black shooting in the media like this.

Gumbel should be fired. Period. If you can't handle that, fine. Gumbel can "just" be suspended, but only after he delivers a 2-5 minute apology to Mr. Upshaw...ON-AIR, face-to-face...for being an irresponsible jackass. Take your pick.