Update with Imus response below
A little over a year after being fired for making what were perceived as racist and sexist comments about the Rutgers women's basketball team, Don Imus is courting controversy again over a potentially racist remark made about an athlete.
When sports host Warner Wolf explained that Adam "Pacman" Jones — who was suspended in 2007 following a Last Vegas nightclub shooting incident — had been arrested six times, Imus asked, "What color is he?"
A slightly confused Wolf responded, "He's African American."
Imus then said, "Well, there you go. Now we know."
Listen (via Politico):
Imus returned to the airwaves in December after eight months off the air.
Update: Imus has defended his comments in an email exchange with the New York Times' Jacques Steinberg:
Asked in an e-mail message what he was trying to convey, Mr. Imus wrote: "I meant he was being picked on because he's black.'' He added that Dick Gregory, a veteran comedian and activist who is black, would be a guest on his show on Tuesday, to discuss the death of George Carlin. "We'll see what he thinks,'' Mr. Imus wrote. "I mean...come on!''
Full transcript, via AOL sports, below:
Wolf: "Defensive back Adam 'Pacman' Jones, recently signed by the Cowboys. Here's a guy suspended all of 2007 following a shooting in a Vegas night club."
Imus: "Well, stuff happens. You're in a night club, for God's sake. What do you think's gonna happen in a night club? People are drinking and doing drugs, there are women there, and people have guns. So, there, go ahead."
Wolf: "He's also been arrested six times since being drafted by Tennessee in 2005."
Imus: "What color is he?"
Wolf: "He's African-American."
Imus: "Well, there you go. Now we know."
