Amid the firestorm of criticism unleashed when Rush Limbaugh revealed that he was part of a group seeking to buy the NFL St. Louis Rams, Limbaugh complained that one quote in particular that was repeatedly attributed to him was a fake. The quote, from a 2006 book by Jack Huberman, had Limbaugh endorsing slavery in the pre-Civil War South. Limbaugh has steadfastly denied ever having made such a statement.
The purported quote was cited repeatedly in news reports recently, including the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, which prompted Limbaugh to accuse the newspaper of slander.
News anchor Rick Sanchez used the purported quote on CNN, but has now issued a retraction.
“Earlier this week we provided quotes attributed to Limbaugh to illustrate why some people and players felt that Rush Limbaugh was too divisive to be an NFL owner. One of these quotes, which was in a column in the St. Louis Post Dispatch and in a book largely about conservatives, was refuted by Limbaugh. We have been unable to independently confirm that quote. We should not have reported it and for that I apologize. I feel it is important to hold folks accountable when they make mistakes, and that should include myself and my team,” said Sanchez.
