Al Sharpton on Imus' return

The Reverend Al Sharpton, who arguably played a significant role in the eventual firing of Don Imus, told RADAR that he would not oppose Imus's return this fall.

That is, if he returns this fall. It's just all rumors and speculation right now. But if the September date is an accurate one, that would be a whoppin' 5-months of unemployment.

"My position is that we never called for him to be permanently barred from being on the air," Sharpton told Radar. "We'll see when he comes back, and if he comes back, what are the boundaries and what is the understanding."

Now, not to mince words or anything (though, that's exactly what was done to Imus) but what exactly is this "understanding" that Sharpton is referring to? It's fascinating to see that since the Imus incident, Al Sharpton has become the head decency-cop for all talk radio. Even to the point where he had to weigh-in on the Opie & Anthony suspension (and had an on-air debate over it).

"We'll be monitoring the situation, but we wanted him to pay for being a repeat abuser, and he paid. We never said we didn't want him to make a living," Sharpton added.

Kind and forgiving words from Al, but all the more reason why Imus should seriously consider any sort of satellite radio offering. The level of scrutiny that he would endure after being re-hired would no doubt be ridiculous. I actually don't think XM or Sirius would need to pay a significant premium over his CBS Radio contract (though, it's always nice) considering the benefits of broadcasting on unrestricted airwaves. And I also don't buy the argument that hiring Imus would add unnecessary scrutiny to the pending Sirius-XM merger. Imus' reputation is no worse than Howard Stern's or O&A's.

The fact is, the majority of people didn't find the Imus firing to be justified. So hiring Imus doesn't make satellite radio out as a wretched hive of scum and villany, but instead a haven for listeners to hear the content of their choosing.

Oh and as for the claim that Imus is seeking a black comedian to help along any racial humor, Sharpton says, "A sidekick is not cover. What he needs to give him cover is his own conscience and whether he'll live up to the apology he gave those Rutgers girls."

[Radar Online]
Thanks Jeff!