Associated Press
ST. LOUIS --- Conservative radio personality Rush Limbaugh lashed out at NFL union leader DeMaurice Smith, Al Sharpton, Jesse Jackson and the media a day after being dropped from a group trying to buy the St. Louis Rams.
On his syndicated show Thursday, Limbaugh said he was approached by St. Louis Blues chairman Dave Checketts earlier this year about participating in a Rams bid. Checketts assured him his involvement as a minority investor had been vetted by the NFL, he said.
"I said to him at this meeting, 'Are you aware of the firestorm?' He said 'We wouldn't have approached you if we hadn't taken care of that,' " said Limbaugh, a conservative favorite who is reviled by many liberals.
Limbaugh added that Checketts had told him his involvement had been cleared at the "highest levels of the NFL."
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell and Colts owner Jim Irsay each expressed misgivings this week at a league-wide meeting about Limbaugh's involvement, with Goodell saying Limbaugh had made "polarizing" comments and Irsay vowing to vote against him. On Wednesday, Checketts said Limbaugh had been dropped from the bid.
PANTHERS: Jon Beason has apologized for calling out Carolina teammate Julius Peppers for his lack of production last week, saying he shouldn't have discussed internal matters publicly.
After avoiding reporters in the locker room, Beason said on his paid appearance on WFNZ on Thursday that he never did talk to Peppers after saying on the same radio station last week that "I'm going to have a conversation with that guy."
The Panthers responded Sunday by beating Washington 20-17 for their first victory. Peppers had two sacks and Beason a team-high 10 tackles.
BILLS: Buffalo's no-huddle offense has suddenly become the no-comment attack.
If the Bills intend to scuttle running the offense they've used since May, no one was willing to say after practice Thursday as the team prepares to play at the New York Jets this weekend.
A Bills media relations official told reporters to ask only injury-related questions to Dick Jauron , though the coach has often discussed other topics on previous Thursdays. When a reporter asked Jauron about the no-huddle attack, the coach walked away without saying a word.
Bills players also declined to discuss the topic.
Questions about the Bills offense came up after ProFootballTalk.com cited an unnamed league source Wednesday in reporting the team is overhauling its offense and getting rid of the no-huddle.
The Bills offense is being blamed for the team's 1-4 start, and is under additional criticism following a 6-3 loss to Cleveland on Sunday.
LIONS: Quarterback Matthew Stafford has been held out of practice for the third time in four days, leaving his availability in question for Sunday's game at Green Bay.
The No. 1 overall draft choice who played at Georgia suffered a knee injury in Detroit's Oct. 4 loss at Chicago and sat out last weekend's game against Pittsburgh. Daunte Culpepper had 282 yards passing and a touchdown and interception in the Lions' 28-20 loss.
EAGLES: A Bay Area animal rights group is planning a protest against Michael Vick before his game against the Oakland Raiders on Sunday.
The group In Defense of Animals says it will protest outside Oakland Coliseum before Vick plays his first road game for the Philadelphia Eagles since being reinstated to the NFL following an 18-month prison sentence for his involvement in a dogfighting ring. The group says Vick, the former Atlanta Falcons quarterback, has not shown proper remorse.
IDA president Elliot Katz also wrote a letter to NFL commissioner Goodell asking that dogfighting and cockfighting be specifically included in the "criminal offense" section of the league's Personal Conduct Policy.
ONE VOICE: NFL owners met on Thursday with George Martin , who has been hired by the NFL Alumni Association, a group that plans to be the lone voice for retired players. Those players have had their representation fragmented by many groups, and commissioner Roger Goodell believes working with one organization will be a positive development.
"One thing I've heard coming out of meetings with retired players was that they want an independent organization that is focused entirely on retired players," Goodell said. "Now we can have an entity that is independent that can identify issues that are priorities for retired players."