Rush Limbaugh's NFL bid might fail but not for his views

October 13, 8:45 AMSports ExaminerPaula Duffy

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Rush Limbaugh at White House, Jan. 2009.          (AP file photo)

Rush Limbaugh's interest in joining a group that might own the NFL's St. Louis Rams has been well documented.

The hue and cry about his political views have dominated the debate about whether he should be included in that tight fraternity.

The issue for his detractors in this process isn't about what he truly believes, it's what he says on-air, whether he believes it or not.

And if Commissioner Roger Goodell is always seeking to "protect the shield" as NFL'ers like to say, Rush's controversial orations after he gets into the club might be worth considering.

But what if the deciding issue had nothing to do with his radio persona.? What if the routine background check and screening process kept him out?

You might recall Limbaugh's 2006 arrest for prescription drug fraud. Also known as doctor shopping, the radio host was charged with using multiple doctors to obtain Oxycontin by illegal means.

After a three year investigation, he was arrested and charged with the crime. To spare the taxpayers a trial West Palm Beach, Florida prosecutors cut a deal with Limbaugh's lawyer.

He was ordered to enter a drug treatment program, stay clean for 18 months, pay for the costs of his investigation and avoid other legal transgressions.

His record was expunged after he successfully completed that list of items. Limbaugh never plead guilty although he had already admitted his addiction to prescription pain medication some three years prior when he took a leave from his job to enter a drug rehabilitation program..

Would it surprise you to know that the NFL's security force performs detailed and in-person investigations of a proposed owner, no matter how small the stake he/she would own in a football team?

Lengthy interviews are conducted with the personal references supplied by the applicant. Two of the three topics that lead the list of interest to the league are criminal background and drug use. And that use doesn't have to rise to the level of criminal behavior.

Rush Limbaugh no longer has a criminal record but his acts are open to review by the NFL. If the league doesn't want to add him to its roster as a part-owner it doesn't have to entertain the free speech argument. It could hang its hat on something else.

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For another view of the Rush story, check out Dexter Rogers, African American Sports Examiner

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