The Rutgers Winning
Team
EDITORIAL, NYTimes on
the Web. April 11, 2007
It is hard to imagine a better
commentary on Don Imus’s disgraceful behavior than the appearance yesterday by
the very women he verbally assaulted, the Rutgers basketball team. Mr.
Imus’s comments were racist and sexist, aimed at young athletes who deserved
high praise, not such low treatment. The students were dignified, suitably
angry and hurt, and the class act of the moment.
Each player who spoke at the news conference on the Rutgers campus in
Piscataway, N.J., yesterday lamented the way Mr. Imus’s casual racism — calling
them “nappy-headed ho’s” — turned what should have been a moment of unalloyed
celebration (making it to the N.C.A.A. championship) into a media event of an
entirely different kind. The 10 players came forth to give their views
about Mr. Imus after days of understandably avoiding the cameras.
Their measured responses, wit and maturity were the ultimate condemnation of the
behavior of their elders in the Imus shop who claim they thought, at least at
the time, that such abuse was funny. The team members — who have agreed to
meet with Mr. Imus privately — offered a better example to all the politicians,
commentators and reporters who have spent the last two days dissecting Mr.
Imus’s behavior.
Essence Carson, the team’s captain, was particularly eloquent in her remarks and
in her responses to questions. At one point, she said that “you don’t get
too many opportunities to finally stand up for what you know is right.”
Ms. Carson and her teammates made maximum use of theirs.
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