In the aftermath of talk-show radio host Don Imus’s controversial comments about the Rutgers University women’s basketball that led to his dismissal from both his radio and television shows, members of the Boston University women’s basketball team have denounced his remarks.
“Honestly, the first thing I felt when I heard it was complete shock,” said BU sophomore forward Jesyka Burks-Wiley. “If he felt that way privately is one thing, but publicly, to say that about such a successful team – I was completely shocked.”
One day after the Rutgers team lost in the NCAA championship game, Imus’s description of the team’s players as “nappy-headed hos” sparked a flurry of outrage from civil rights advocates and collegiate teams across the country. Imus apologized for the remarks on the Rev. Al Sharpton’s radio program on April 9 and offered an explanation for his remarks.
“Our agenda is to be funny, and sometimes we go too far. And this time we went way too far,” Imus said on the program.
Though the remarks targeted the Rutgers team, the implications of racism and sexism were felt throughout the collegiate world, including at BU.
Burks-Wiley said if Imus’s remarks were meant to get laughs, it “was a horrible way to get it.” And she, like many others who have pointed to Imus’s history of racist comments, said she believes Imus was showing his true feelings through his off-the-cuff remarks. Imus was fired from CBS Radio on April 12, one day after his television show was cut from MSNBC.
“There is always a little truth in all laughter, so I definitely think that’s how he felt,” Burks-Wiley said. “He shouldn’t have even been suspended . . . I think [MSNBC] handled it well by pulling him off TV quickly, but he should’ve been off the air immediately.”
Burks-Wiley, one of two black players on the BU women’s team, said she has dealt with racially charged remarks during her high school career at at Lincoln College Preparatory Academy in Kansas City, Mo., but has never experienced anything like the national outcry that came following Imus’s remarks.
“I’ve never dealt with these types of comments,” Burks-Wiley said. “My basketball team in high school was all black and we would play schools that were predominately white. They would think we were inner-city schools and of course there were remarks.
“But if we let that get to us, we would just be like them,” she added. “We just rose above it and I think that showed what kind of class we had.”
With all the attention that has followed Imus’s remarks, Burks-Wiley said she hopes the success of the Rutgers program, which earned its first national championship appearance, is not lost in the media fallout.
“I don’t think it’s taken away from their success,” Burks-Wiley said. “Anybody who is familiar with basketball knows that Rutgers had a great performance. If anything it shows how strong and classy their team is. They didn’t let it get to them.”