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"How insane would I have to be? What would I be thinking?" said radio shock jock Don Imus, and that's precisely what a lot of people are wondering when he made his remarks on his radio show Monday.

Imus, the same radio talk-show host who in 2007 was fired from CBS radio and MSNBC's simulcast of his radio show after he called the Rutgers University women's basketball team "nappy-headed hos," has put his foot in his mouth again. But unlike last time, this Imus debacle demonstrates that people cannot simply surround themselves with Blacks, Latinos or Asian Americans and say, "See, I have Black, Latino and Asian-American friends, so I can't be prejudiced."

On Monday, during his WABC radio show, Imus talked about now-suspended Dallas Cowboys cornerback Adam Jones, who in his past was arrested six times:

"What color is he?" asked Imus.

"African American," said the show's sports announcer, Warner Wolf.

"There you go. Now we know," said Imus.

Several web sites picked up and re-aired the exchange. And on Tuesday, Imus, wanting to quell the swelling controversy, said people should be upset about Black people being persecuted, not his comment. "What people should be outraged about is that they arrest blacks for no reason," Imus said Tuesday, reported the Los Angeles Times. "I mean, there's no reason to arrest this kid six times. Maybe he did something once, but everyone does something once."

But Some of My Best Friends Are Black

When Imus launched his new radio program on WABC in December, his new team included a Black producer and two Black co-hosts, a man and a woman. Their presence appears to be part of Imus' effort to demonstrate change since his comment about the Rutgers women's basketball team. Imus also mentioned that Black comedian Dick Gregory was going to be a guest on his show when asked by The New York Times in an e-mail message about the Adam Jones comment.

"I meant he was being picked on because he's Black," Imus wrote. Referring to Gregory's appearance, scheduled for Tuesday, Imus responded, "We'll see what he thinks I mean … come on!"

Well, hiring Black people and having them on your show doesn't preclude one from being challenged about one's comments. The presence of Black people doesn't give Imus a pass. Now, again, he sits in the court of public opinion.

Co-host Karith Foster defended Imus Tuesday. Foster, who is Black, said Imus is being misinterpreted: "People who interpret what you said as racist clearly didn't hear the whole thing, and they don't know who you are and what the program is about--and they obviously haven't been listening," reported the Times.

Jones, who signed with the Dallas Cowboys over the summer after serving a league suspension and sitting out the last NFL season, told The Dallas Morning News Tuesday that Imus' comment upset him, reports the Times.

"Obviously Mr. Imus has problems with African Americans," Jones said to the Times. "I'm upset, and I hope the station he works for handles it accordingly. I will pray for him."

Imus' ratings have dipped since starting at WABC. His morning show in April was ranked eighteenth overall in the competitive New York City market, reported The Radio Equalizer.

Among radio listeners ages 25--54, Imus sits in twentieth place, reports The Radio Equalizer.

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