ESPN Host Blasts Network's No Politics Policy After Trump Rally's 'Send Her Back' Chant

ESPN host Dan Le Batard minced no words Thursday, criticizing his networks policy discouraging hosts from discussing politics as cowardly and weak-ass.

Le Batard lambasted his employer after President Donald Trump s supporters at a rally chanted send her back, climaxing days of the presidents racist attacks on Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) and three other women of color in Congress.

So what happened last night, this felt un-American, said Le Batard, whose parents came to the U.S. from Cuba, referencing Trumps vicious rally in North Carolina on Wednesday. Theres a racial division in this country thats being instigated by the president. And we here at ESPN havent had the stomach for that fight because Jemele [Hill] did some things on Twitter, and you saw what happened after that.

Then, here, all of the sudden, nobody talks politics on anything unless we can use one of these sports figures as a meat shield in the most cowardly possible way to discuss the subject.

Citing ratings, ESPN executives have encouraged hosts to cut back on political commentary unless the topic involves a major sports figure since former host Jemele Hill made a series of comments about Trump in 2017, including calling him a white supremacist . Then-White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders called on ESPN to fire Hill, and ESPN sidelined her before she left the network last year.

Stop what you're doing and watch this.@LeBatardShow responds to the racist \"Send her back\" and \"Go back to your country\" attacks against Ilhan Omar and other congresswomen.

\"If you're not calling it abhorrent, obviously racist, dangerous rhetoric, you're complicit.\" pic.twitter.com/ntOC2Seg3b

Erick Fernandez (@ErickFernandez) July 18, 2019","type":"rich","meta":{"author":"Erick Fernandez","author_url":"https://twitter.com/ErickFernandez","cache_age":86400,"description":"Stop what you're doing and watch this.@LeBatardShow responds to the racist \"Send her back\" and \"Go back to your country\" attacks against Ilhan Omar and other congresswomen.\"If you're not calling it abhorrent, obviously racist, dangerous rhetoric, you're complicit.\" pic.twitter.com/ntOC2Seg3b Erick Fernandez (@ErickFernandez) July 18, 2019\n\n","options":{"_hide_media":{"label":"Hide photos, videos, and cards","value":false}},"provider_name":"Twitter","thumbnail_height":360,"thumbnail_url":"https://pbs.twimg.com/media/D_yEPscXUAAVVKT.jpg","thumbnail_width":646,"title":"Erick Fernandez on 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Stop what you're doing and watch this.@LeBatardShow responds to the racist "Send her back" and "Go back to your country" attacks against Ilhan Omar and other congresswomen.

"If you're not calling it abhorrent, obviously racist, dangerous rhetoric, you're complicit." pic.twitter.com/ntOC2Seg3b
Erick Fernandez (@ErickFernandez) July 18, 2019

Le Batard continued:

It is so wrong what the president of our country is doing, trying to go down getting reelected by dividing the masses, at a time when the old white man, the old, rich white man, feels oppressed being attacked by minorities. Black people, brown people, women: Thats who were going after now. Black people, brown people, women: Lets do it, as the platform.
Thats what youre seeing. And the only way we can discuss it around here because this isnt about politics, its about race what youre seeing happening around here is about race, and it has been turned into politics. And we only talk about it around here when Steve Kerr or [Gregg] Popovich says something. We dont talk about what is happening unless theres some sort of weak, cowardly sports angle that we can run it through when sports has been a place where this stuff changes.

Le Batard went on to note how sports and politics have always been linked, citing the long history of athletes who have fought for political change, including Muhammad Ali, Bill Russell and Jim Brown during the civil rights movement.

More recently, NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernicks protests against police brutality have caused him career consequences. Many right-wing figures, including Trump himself, have mischaracterized Kaepernicks protests as disrespect for the flag and the national anthem, questioning Kaepernicks patriotism.

Were taking this stuff and making it about the flag, when its not about the flag. Its about race! Le Batard said.

After again decrying Trumps rally, Le Batard blasted ESPN for hiding behind a weak-ass shield.

Around here, we wont talk about it. We wont talk about it unless Russell Wilson is saying something about it on his Instagram page. Weak-ass shield, the host said. It is antithetical to what we should be and if youre not calling it abhorrent, obviously racist, dangerous rhetoric, youre complicit.

A spokeswoman for ESPN on Friday declined to comment on Le Batards remarks.

This article has been updated to include ESPNs response.