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Harold Ford: Imus My 'Good Friend'
Former Tennessee congressman and U.S. Senate candidate Harold Ford Jr., a frequent guest on Don Imus' radio program, called Imus a good friend and a decent man, but condemned his remarks about the Rutgers women's basketball team. Imus triggered an uproar April 4 when he referred to the mostly black basketball team as "nappy-headed hos." MSNBC announced Wednesday it would stop simulcasting his radio show and CBS fired him on Thursday. Ford, who lost a bid in November to become the first black Southerner elected to the U.S. Senate in more than a century, was Imus' favored candidate during the race against Republican Bob Corker, who is white. Ford now works as a political commentator for Fox News, a guest professor at Vanderbilt University, chairman of the Democratic Leadership Council and as a vice chairman for Merrill Lynch.
Story Continues Below Selena Morris, a Ford associate at Merrill Lynch, sent an e-mail saying Ford was not available to speak on the phone, but she forwarded his comments to The Associated Press. Ford said he did not want to be viewed as "piling on right now because Don Imus is a good friend and a decent man. However, he did a reprehensible thing. His comments about the Rutgers women's basketball team were hurtful and wrong. Moreover, the comments robbed these young women of an important time to celebrate a magnificent and positive moment in their lives." Ford said he would wait to see how the Rutgers team, which lost the NCAA championship last week to Tennessee, reacted to Imus' efforts to reconcile. "I am a big believer in redemption, and I understand that Don has done many good deeds in his life," Ford said in his comments. "Yet, no amount of philanthropy gives anyone the license to offend innocent people - particularly when it comes to matters of race and gender. So I'm going to follow the lead of those brilliant and gracious women of the Rutgers basketball team and wait and see how the next two weeks unfold. "I certainly hope Don can come to understand better the pain he has caused these young women and their families, and I will leave it to others to decide how his future in media should play out." Imus twice asked on the air about Ford on his radio show Tuesday. On the "Imus in the Morning" show in February, Imus said Ford lost the Senate race because of "abject racism," according to a transcript obtained by the Chattanooga Times Free Press. Many Ford supporters and other political observers criticized a TV ad run on Corker's behalf that they claimed played on racial stereotypes and fears. Last fall, Imus referred to Corker as "Bob Cracker," a transcript shows. © 2007 Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Editor's note:
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