Rush Limbaugh, one of America's most prominent broadcasters, has resigned from a television network after a storm erupted over his remarks about a black sports star.
Limbaugh cut his ties with the cable TV sports network ESPN three days after saying Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb was overrated because the media
wanted to see a black quarterback succeed.
In a case that has uncanny similarities to Paul Holmes' calling UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan a "cheeky darkie" on his radio show last month, Limbaugh's comments sparked an outcry in the United States.
Associated Press reported that Limbaugh resigned from the NFL Sunday Countdown show after initially defending his comments on his nationally syndicated radio show.
"My comments this past Sunday were directed at the media and were not racially motivated. I offered an opinion. This opinion has caused discomfort to the crew, which I regret," Limbaugh said.
In accepting the resignation, the president of ESPN and ABC Sports, George Bodenheimer, said: "We regret the circumstances surrounding this. We believe that he [Limbaugh] took the appropriate action to resolve this matter expeditiously."
McNabb said that he was upset that Limbaugh made race an issue and said it was too late for an apology.
Although there was a media and public outcry over Paul Holmes' "cheeky darkie" comments, he has not resigned.
He has made public apologies on both Holmes on TVOne and on his radio show on Newstalk ZB.
