Michael Irvin Does His Best Jimmy the Greek Impression on the Dan Patrick Show
Uncategorized November 22nd. 2006, 3:29pm
Once the suits at ESPN hear the latest garbage to emit from Michael Irvin’s mouth, Christmas may come early for NFL fans who have long grown tired of his idiotic shtick: Maybe they’ll fire his ass.
On Monday, Irvin went on the Dan Patrick radio show. If you’ve got ESPN insider, you can listen to the audio here. Irvin showed up late; he sounded a bit off kilter. Before long, he was incoherently babbling in a manner that once got Jimmy the Greek fired from CBS.
At about the 3:42 mark in the above link, Irvin mentions that Tony Romo outplayed Peyton Manning Sunday, and then says, “… [there must be] some brothers in that line somewhere … (laughs to himself) somewhere there are some brothers … I don’t know who saw what, where …. [maybe] his great, great, great, great Grandma ran over in the hood or something went down … (laughter)”
Dan Patrick, sensing disaster, jumps in and says, ‘that’s the only way to be a great athlete?’
Irvin comes back with, “No, that’s not the only way … but it’s certainly one way … [maybe his] great, great, great, great Grandma pulled one of them studs up outta the barn [and said] ‘come here for a second’ … back in the day …(more sinister laughter)”
Patrick steps in to diffuse the situation by saying, ‘Alex Haley in ‘Roots’ on the Dan Patrick Show …’
Irvin, who will certainly will be ticketed for bojangling by Jason Whitlock for this outburst, kept cackling and came back with, ’something like that,’ followed by another devious laugh.
Patrick’s tag team partner, Keith Olbermann, then jumps in to avert further disaster and says, ‘Let’s steer out of this skid’ and changes the subject.
It really is unfortunate that Tom Jackson wasn’t a guest on the show – perhaps he could have topped his classic ‘are you retarded?’ line from September.
The story hasn’t quite blown up yet – the Fort Worth Star Telegram makes a passing mention, and Pro Football Talk has it. We recommend hustling to the audio link – ESPN will probably wipe it from the website sooner than later to spare itself the embarrassment.
Michael Irvin, NFL (ESPN Radio)
51 Responses to “Michael Irvin Does His Best Jimmy the Greek Impression on the Dan Patrick Show”
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.
November 22nd, 2006 at 4:45 pm
Yup. Mondesi’s House was all over this on Monday.
November 22nd, 2006 at 4:58 pm
This probably gets him a raise.
November 22nd, 2006 at 6:03 pm
Wait…I don’t quite understand. Was he implying that Tony Romo’s great grandma made lovings to a slave and made Romo a good QB? That’s crazy.
November 22nd, 2006 at 6:27 pm
Way to go! Silky Johnson says expresses yet another stupid opinion.
November 22nd, 2006 at 6:27 pm
Way to go! Silky Johnson expresses yet another stupid opinion.
November 22nd, 2006 at 6:31 pm
It also just shows the double standard that there is. If you compare this to what Rush Limbaugh said about Donovan McNabb its not even debatle which one is more ratially insensitive.
Also, Has anyone seen the most recent entry on Page2 from Jemele Hill. I know they haven’t covered it on here yet but it is absolute crap. I dont know how one can even argue that its an article. I’ve tried to stay neutral on her and give her a chance but if this is representative of what she has to offer its either a negative commentary on Page 2’s hiring process or the state of sports journalism.
November 22nd, 2006 at 6:45 pm
Connor - Yup, we saw it. We won’t be covering it on here. To answer your question, we’ll check C, both.
November 22nd, 2006 at 7:24 pm
this isn’t irvin’s first public comment like this in regards to romo. when romo won his first game, irvin appeared on the tony bruno radio show and said that during the summer he was playing hoops with some current cowboys. he made sure to cover romo b/c he assumed that since he was white, he would struggle. he said he soon learned that romo might have been the best athlete on the floor as romo proceeded to light him up. he said he grabbed romo and began scratching at his skin to “see if there was some brother in there.” i’m paraphrasing, but the point is, this isn’t the first time.
November 22nd, 2006 at 7:41 pm
i don’t disagree that there is a double standard…ie, limbaugh and the greek vs. what irvin said…but the reality is…limbaugh and the greek weren’t able to claim they were just joking about it…an f’ing buffoon like irvin will just tell everyone he was joking around…and, based on his history of buffoonery, he’ll be let off the hook…
November 22nd, 2006 at 8:39 pm
It’s odd Irvin thinks there is some brother in Romo if he’s consistently playing well at QB. Joke.
November 23rd, 2006 at 4:07 pm
So is Irvin a buffoon because he’s……….a former Cowboy? I guess black guys can joke about slavery but, no one else can.
November 24th, 2006 at 4:24 pm
The Monday Nov. 20 ESPN-Radio Podcast of the Dan Patrick/ Keith Olbermann segment with Michael Irvin was an incredible display of inconsistency. Irv’s comments were insulting and defenseless. You may apologize or spin his comments about Romo and, according to M.I., must have some “brother in him”, anyway you suggest. But the bottom line or crux of the matter is that if this were another personality from another news source KO/ and Dan would have crucified him. Should we suggest that since James Brown went to Harvard his ancestor’s had a Caucasian influence or Pistol Pete Maravich had afro-American ancestry. Both suggestions are equally insulting as Irving’s, and ESPN’s agenda-driven perspective on what is right or wrong is reinforced with their non-reaction to Irving’s comments. Listen to Irvin’s 11/20 comments and make your own judgements.
November 24th, 2006 at 7:50 pm
Geez…If people weren’t so sensitive in this country…sounds like it was pretty funny. It would have been funny the other way around too. Throw your box of Kleenex away and stop crying over everything.
“OMG…I’m so offended by that comment!”
Put a sock in it….geezus.
November 25th, 2006 at 12:59 am
If you’ve met Michael Irvin you would ‘know’ him quickly. He is an arrogant, uneducated, loud-mouthed, over contracted former NFL wide-receiver, who spent time in jail, and got him self out of a real prison sentence (for drug possesion in Dallas), and needs to be released or fired from his ESPN and “NFL” broadcasting contracts. He has enough money to make it through to the next century. And he is not an example of what our kids and other adults should have to listen to on TV. His remarks, on many subjects, have been out-of-line for many years. Free Speech does not give him (or anyone) the right to insult others.
November 25th, 2006 at 1:06 am
God almighty, gotta love the double standards in this country. Fucking Kramer’s career is finished for saying the word “nigger” at a comedy club but Michael Irvin pulls a Jimmy the Greek and hardly anyone bats an eyelash. Story will be dead in a week. Welcome to America 2006.
November 25th, 2006 at 7:13 am
Michael Irvin is an idiot. What little respect I had for him is gone. I will find a new station for my NFL pregame. That jackoff thought he was being funny but he was just being racist. That’s it, racist. There is no comparison to statements made by Rush Limbaugh because Rush was not criticizing or insulting McNabb’s race. Even worse what Rush said was true and he still got reamed. Irvin makes blatantly disrespectful comments and no backlash. Shame on ESPN for tolerating racism.
November 25th, 2006 at 9:12 pm
Most of the people posting dont like Irvin in the first place and this is another thing to jump on. Mike went way over the line. Would I fire Irvin? Yes. If you fired Limbaugh you might as well do the same with Mike.
Limbaugh was right at the time on McNabb, but I still think the “Media wants a black QB to do well” part was dumb since Cunningham and Moon already proved black QBs could do well before McNabb came into the league.
November 28th, 2006 at 12:35 am
It is pathetic how the liberal media, entertainers and broadcasters rush to cover their liberal associates who make errors and tread very slowly until the blunder disappears. At the same time they string up conservatives who make the same type of errors, let them swing in the wind and pound them immediately and mercilessly until they lose their jobs.
November 28th, 2006 at 12:49 am
IT IS AN INSULT TO INTELLIGENT SPORTS FANS TO HAVE TO WATCH THE BAFOON CARRY-ON A WEEK LATER AS THOUGH NOTHING HAPPENED; WITH THE SAME BROADCAST TEAM THAT IMMEDIATELY DROP-KICKED A PROVEN BROAD-CASTER LIKE LIMBAUGH THROUGH THE GOALPOSTS FOR HIS REMARKS. WHAT HYPOCRITES ON ESPN! AND THIS IS THE OUTFIT THAT REPLACED ABC’S LONG-TIME PROFESSIONAL MONDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL CREW.
November 28th, 2006 at 2:42 am
sounds like most of the bloggerz are jock sniffers (like the media), since blacks and whites wayovercame the race back in the early 70’s- mike was straight up with his apology, as his comment was a pick-up basketball or locker room tease to COMPLIMENT a white guy- most people don’t get the jimmy the greek thing, which is an only the strong survive, natural selection truth that only people who don’t play sports (i didn’t say don’t compete), don’t get… how do i know? i would’a made de all black team at my div 1-A skool sept my gpa (as a white boy), was too hi! (according to my black teammates)- keep sniffin’ you thin skinned pussies-
November 28th, 2006 at 4:52 pm
Good God, we are so friggin’ sensitive. This is nothing like “Kramer’s” outburst, which was ugly and intended to be insulting. This was a JOKE (and a pretty funny one, if I do say so myself), and was intended to be a COMPLIMENT to Romo, as in “he’s a better athlete than we think.”
I’ve met Irvin (sat next to him on a plane for 2.5 hours this past summer) and he is a friendly, funny guy. I’m going to give him a pass on this, provided he learns a lesson from it. While I don’t see a lot of harm in what he said, it’s abviously kicked over more controversy than Irvin ever intended. I suspect you won’t hear anything like this from Mike again.
November 28th, 2006 at 5:00 pm
Michael Irving was wrong, no two ways about it. The only way i see to punish the remark is to NOT listen to the show until something is done about it.
Lets face it, if the show starts losing it ’s listeners something will be done
November 28th, 2006 at 9:34 pm
Would you expect anything less from Irvin. Whether it is possession of drugs or just shooting off his “U” educated mouth, Irvin will get the customary slap on the wrist.
Why hasn’t someone on the PGA Tour rubbed Tiger’s skin and said, “Boy, you must have more white in you than black to play this game.” No one would dare because of the media fallout, however Irvin can make the “white boy basketball” comment without any ramifications.
BTW - when Jesse was interviewing Michael Richards, should someone have made Jesse recall that he once called NYC “himie town.” The liberal media will keep making us forget the comments of Irvin, Jesse and others, while pounding the Michael Richards quotes into our heads.
November 28th, 2006 at 11:55 pm
To the people who are saying that it was just a joke and a compliment to Romo, you don’t know what you’re talking about. Nobody cares what Irvin’s reasons were for saying what he said. It doesn’t matter if he was trying to compliment Romo. The mere fact of what he said TO complement him is what is offensive. So, according to Irvin, being black means you’re a good athlete, and being white means you’re not. “Complimenting” a white guy by saying he plays like a black guy may be a compliment to the white guy’s play, but it is an insult to his race. There are certainly better ways of “complimenting” someone.
But that’s not even the only part of this that was wrong. Even if you take race out of it, Irvin’s “compliment” was basically a “your mom” joke. Saying his great grandmother had an affair is a compliment? Come on. You don’t make that kind of comment about someone’s family publicly and expect to have it be considered acceptable. These aren’t 2 friends teasing each other privately. It’s a moron on a radio show making comments about a guy publicly. You just can’t say that.
November 29th, 2006 at 12:24 am
Double standard, hypocracy, you name it, let a conservative person say this type of stuff and watch the liberal media tie them to the whipping post. I pay no attention to Mr. Irvin on TV and will always hold dear the sight of him crumpled on the Vet’s astroturf after Terry Hoage popped him.
E-A-G-L-E-S
November 29th, 2006 at 3:48 pm
We all know Irvin’s a buffoon. Why should it matter if Romo is black or white. By the way, Antonio Ramiro Romo is 2nd generation Mexican-American.
November 29th, 2006 at 5:31 pm
Disney owns ESPN and ABC right? How coincidental Irvin was on Jimmy Kimmel last night and while Kimmel mentioned Irvin’s duties on ESPN television coverage he made no mention of the ESPN radio spot Irvin also holds. Kimmel even made some joking reference to the Kramer outburst but nothing was said about Irvin’s comments about Romo. To me it came across as damage control by Disney. Polish the image and sweep Irvin’s comments under the rug.
November 29th, 2006 at 7:19 pm
I would venture to say that PHE (the individual posting above who sat next to Irvin on an airplane for 2.5 hours and found him funny) is either black, a white woman, or perhaps a white male who was willing to allow his wife to have some unsupervised private time with Irvin.
November 30th, 2006 at 12:18 am
Typical liberal media mode of operation.
December 1st, 2006 at 12:02 am
ESPN is doubled standard ane everyone knows that,….If Steve Young had said that he’d been fired that day….Thats why Kramer is the man!
December 1st, 2006 at 7:24 pm
Jeez.. and I thought USA was the land of the free!
What’s particularly moronic is the snivelling cry-babying of all you conservative types, snivelling on about how unfair it is that white offensive comments about blacks get punished but blacks get away with it. Rather than demand punishment for blacks you should be demanding free speech for all. What’s wrong is that white guys got sacked rather than that black guys got away with it.
Having said that though, the idea that this is a level playing field is wrong. Whites belittling blacks has to be understood in the context of the history of white oppression and carries very different meanings than blacks belittling whites. Comments about the natural prowess of black sportsmen carry with them a history of inferring that sport is all blacks are good at cos they’re more primitive, more like animals than the oh so intellectually superior and more civilised white man. So when a black makes a joke about a white sportsman having black inside him it is not racist in the way that a white man suggesting that Tiger must have white inside him to be good at such a refined, skilful sport as golf.
December 1st, 2006 at 10:15 pm
Free speech does give an idiot like Irvin the right to show his lack of class and that his iq rivals that of a blade of grass. The problem lies in how people excuse the comments of a black man, yet tar and feather any white men that participate in this type of crap.
December 2nd, 2006 at 1:56 am
Lets look back at Irvin the Idiot. Trouble with drugs in 99, hookers shortly after, his brothers crack pipe, this latest thing about Romo, not to even factor in that he is loud,obnoxious and stupid on air. Tom Jackson cant stand him, Steve Young barely tolerates him and ESPN still has him on the. I have no idea why Dan Patrick seems to hold him up on pedestal like he does. Playmaker . More like trouble maker. I use to love to watch the NFL pregame on Sunday mornings. Cant bear to watch anymore. ESPN should drop Irvin the Idiot.
December 2nd, 2006 at 6:44 pm
I cringed when I heard Mike Irvin make those comments live on DP’s show. They were wrong. However, they were not worth being fired over & the person mentioned (Tony Romo) was quoted as saying that he WAS NOT offended. Therefore move on & don’t try to make this situation about comments regarding Romo’s racial background. It’s not the same as Jimmy “The Greek” or Rush Limbaugh’s comments. Don’t believe me…look at the transcripts. Still don’t believe me, then you’re stupid! This delayed blow up, is about a bunch of self righteous people who don’t like ESPN’s monopoly of sports and how it’s presented. There is also a thinly veiled personal contempt for Irvin’s position as an ESPN analyst due to his background. This being said, there are double standards across the board in media and sports so let’s not just talk about it when it’s convenient for your point. You just choose to look the other way when it’s someone you like.
December 4th, 2006 at 4:26 am
ROMO IS A BROTHER, A LATINO BROTHER.( 2ND GENERATION MEXICAN AMERICAN). GO COWBOYS!
December 4th, 2006 at 2:37 pm
I’m not really offended by the comments themselves, although Irvin was and is absolutely RETARDED (thanks, TJ) for making them on air. What outrages me is the fact that he gets a free pass for making them while limbaugh and the greek get canned. Also, bryant gumble said he wouldnt watch the 2006 winter olympics because there werent enough blacks represented. Didn’t get fired. Ok, gumble, then I wont watch the NBA cause there arent enough whites represented. put that in your pipe and smoke it…oh wait, thats Irvin.
December 4th, 2006 at 6:12 pm
Michael Irvin is a friggin idiot. How he still has a job at ESPN is beyond me. Someone should bitch slap that scumbag and send him back to the “hood” to hang out with his crackhead hood buddies. It’s amazing to me how the greek and Rush got fired immediatly and this dirtball still has a job that he’s obviously not qualified for. Hey Michael!! I loved watching when you were laying half paralyzed on the turf at the Vet. I was one clapping and cheering. I only wish that the Eagles knocked your retarded head off so we didn’t ever have to listen to your dumbass. . just go away Irvin!!! Scumbag!!!
December 4th, 2006 at 6:37 pm
When is this going to stop?why can a Black Man make a comment and he is just joking and then a White Man makes a comment and he is a”RACIST”.Wake up America!!!!
December 8th, 2006 at 10:36 pm
IT’S A DISGRACE THAT THAT RACIST GETS TO KEEP HIS JOB AND ESPN DOES NOTHING ABOUT THE SITUATION. SINCE THEY DIDN’T TAKE ANY ACTION, I GUESS ESPN CONDONES THIS TYPE OF BEHAVIOR!!!!!!!!
December 14th, 2006 at 6:39 pm
The name Silky Johnson is perfect for Mr. Irvin. (Thank you Seabass) Silky just blurts out anything that comes to his mind usually with no regard for anyone or anything. To me, the saddest part about Silky is that I think he thinks he is a quality journalist. Ever see him do an interview? He always asks the “hard hitting” questions with this sqinted look in his eye like hes doing the viewer a favor by getting this coveted information.
December 26th, 2006 at 2:16 am
double standard? Sure, If Romo made the comment on “IRVING”……would have been a “RACIST” slur! Jessie Jackson, Al Sharpen, and company WILL BE KNOCKING AT NFL DOORS……. SHOUTING! RACISM! Tony Romo light-skinned heritage ……who would guess he is MEXICAN. VIVA LA RAZA
December 26th, 2006 at 2:52 am
Irving was/is jeaulos …… McNabb(black) was replaced with( Tony Romo) a whitemexican quaterback. Jeff Garica is also mexican.
January 9th, 2007 at 5:48 am
I dont know about Irvin, or should I say I dont care… but as for Jemele Hill, as was mentioned before, her article on the death of Darrent Williams was not only moving, but absolutley the truth… and to think otherwise is to bury your head in the sand. What Jimmy the Greek said to get him fired about big slaves being bred, well… he was absolutley right as well! My point is, race and racism are very divisive issues which lead to an equal amount of offensive statements and hilarious statements… you know its true. It just seems like everyone has a lot of trouble figuring out which is which… its one thing when someone dumb and ignorant like michael irvin or michael richards has something racist sounding (or blatantly racist) come out of their mouths, its more important when an educated/powerful person reduces themselves to such ignorance, like rush limbaugh, bill o’reilly, or our very own president. So stop wasting time being ignorant over ignorance and empower yourselves with knowledge so you can see this picture a little clearer.
February 18th, 2007 at 5:14 am
This is getting stupid. Look, what’s wrong with a generalization that African American men may posses certain physical traits that give them the propensity to be better athletes than Anglo Men? What is wrong with a statement like that ?
We in the US like to play dumb.
YES the comment was stupid, but nothing like Michael Richards or even Tim Hardaway. Richards was pure hate. Hardaway pure ignorance. Irvin is generalizing … and joking. It does cross the line and ESPN should have fired him but EVERYONE has a spot in their head that says “wow … a white guy in the NBA …” Is that racist ? NO … it’s
R-E-A-L-I-T-Y …
There’s like 75% African Americans in the NBA and something like 70% in the NFL. I may sound racist; but I think in an overall sense …. with 13% of US residents African Americans and playing in the NBA or NFL guarantees millions and there’s equal opportunity for everyone … why is there such a disporportionate amount of AA to Anglos?
Again, for whatever reason, African Americans, to me, in a general sense, posses certain traits that allow them perform better in athletics. Call me crazy but the proof is in the numbers.
Of course this is a generalization but if I had to bet $1 Million on the race of the 2020 NBA first pick … I’d bet he’s African American. I’d challenge anyone to tell me differently.
March 1st, 2007 at 7:53 pm
Hey Jeff,
Yao Ming and Andrea Bargnani say “Hello!”. Why don’t you put down that “Sociology for Dummies” book you are obviously struggling with and pick up a newspaper with large print and pictures?
Just saying,
-Scott-
March 15th, 2007 at 6:16 am
First of all if you do not like what he has to say or do not want your precious kids to hear it change the channel! Second I enjoy watching Irvin on any network. He has the football knowledge and he makes us all laugh get a sense of humor already! When my kids watch I say there is one of the best wide recievers I have ever seen. Everybody makes mistakes yours just aren’t known. I can’t wait to see him finally get into the hall of fame with Troy and Emmitt where he belongs and continue to watch him on ESPN and Best Damn.
April 9th, 2007 at 5:52 pm
What a bunch of idiots. Irvin was laughing as he was speaking……obviously joking. Rush, Jimmy The Greek, and Michael Richards were not. They werent smiling, joking, or anything that resembles being humorous. Complete difference. I would be willing to bet that most of you morons are white and hated Irvin before any of this happened. And it prob has to do more with the Cowboys continually spanking everyones teams asses in the early 90’s. Talk about a witch hunt. And lets not forget……..DONT PLAYER HATE, CONGRATULATE!! Congratulations on the HOF Mike, you deserve it. Now you are where you belong.
April 9th, 2007 at 7:55 pm
Mike Irvin is telling the truth. Leave him alone.
April 12th, 2007 at 10:33 pm
“What a bunch of idiots. Irvin was laughing as he was speaking……obviously joking. Rush, Jimmy The Greek, and Michael Richards were not.”
Gee, that excuse didn’t work for Don Imus.
Seems like yet another example of a double standard that white entertainment personalities are held to. Or, is it just a case of Imus should have been working for ESPN/ABC, rather then NBC and CBS? Or perhaps he should have worked for HBO since they uttered not a word when he decried the lack of blacks in the Winter Olympics and suggested as a result that the Winter Olympics were pseudo sports. Maybe had Imus said that since it was made up of only Woman, who happen to be, for the most part, black that it wasn’t really a sport in the first place. Perhaps that would have kept him out of trouble? Perhaps not?
April 14th, 2007 at 12:29 am
Ok as far as the Jimmy the Greek thing goes, he shouldn’t have been on CBS in the first place if you wanted to keep the idea that gambling and the NFL don’t go hand n hand. Wink wink. Regardless he was taped at a function where he had a few drinks and the thing was supposed to be off the record. I’m sure all of us have said stupid things when we have been drunk or stoned. Maybe that’s why there was so many sex tapes of the famous or so called “famous” going around.
In fact, the last Chris Rock concert that was on HBO he addressed the same topic but since he was Chris Rock , everyone laughed and it was no big deal. It seems that whenever somthing that is brought up that can be subtlety joked or laughed about by blacks, other groups can’t talk about these topics without getting crucified by the same professional outraged groups that we always see on tv when something like this happens. I beleive there is a difference between being racist and malicious and racist and being ignorant. Until we address these issues we are going to be subject to the same type of 3 ring circus we always get when this type of bullshit happens.
May 13th, 2007 at 3:51 pm
LMAO…WHY ARE ALL OF YOU SO MAD?? DO YOU EVEN KNOW WHERE THE BLACK ATHLETE STEREOTYPE CAME FROM? DURING SLAVERY DAYS THE WHITE SLAVE OWNERS BRED LARGER MORE ATHLETIC SLAVES BECAUSE THEY WERE BASICALLY TREATED LIKE HORSES(FUCK THAT, THEY WERE TREATED WORSE). MICHEAL IRVIN MADE REFERENCES TO SLAVERY IN HIS JOKES…IF YOUR MAD HE SAID IT…YOU SHOULD BE MAD AT THE FACT THAT THE SUBJECT MATTER IN THE JOKES EVEN EXISTS.
AMERICA IS SO TOUCHY NOWADAYS…WHITE FOLKS ARE ALL MAD THAT THEY CANNOT MAKE FUN OF OTHER RACES ANYMORE OR THEY MIGHT RECIEVE A BACKLASH…OH THE HUMANITY!!!!