Lou Holtz Stuffs His Sorry in a Sack Again, Apologizes for His Hitler - Rich Rod Analogy

A questionable choice of words on air again for Lou Holtz. I didn't see Holtz compare the leadership skills of Michigan coach Rich Rodriguez to those of Hitler on College Gameday, and I didn't see him apologize at halftime of today's Clemson/Georgia Tech game either (I blame DirecTV for the latter -- apparently they felt like showing up on the back half of their four-day service call window.)

But that doesn't matter, because I didn't need to. I was informed of what he said and I know what he referenced:

"Ya know, Hitler was a great leader too."

Having heard Holtz egg the discussion and then subsequently have to apologize on national television, I think we need to realize there are two important issues at hand here.

First, everyone involved in sports: stop making Adolf Hitler analogies/comparisons/metaphors. Please. Unless you are a Holocaust survivor, this is something you do not want to discuss. (Nor do you have any business discussing it.) It is an important part of history but it has nothing to do with sports. At all. So stop.

And secondly, Dr. Lou ... I realize ESPN wants you to be edgy, but please don't be. It doesn't fit your personality, and it's making you look really bad. (Although it's happened off camera recently too, so maybe it actually does.)

The greater point though, is that invoking the leader of the Nazi regime in any sense of sports-related discussion is just stupid, dumb and off-color. It isn't dignified to those that suffered several decades ago and it undermines the entire notion of historical brevity that's given to such a horrible event.

Sports Broadcasting Slip-Ups

"Ya know, Hitler was a great leader too."
ESPN College Gameday personality Lou Holtz compared the leadership skills of Michigan football coach Rich Rodriguez to Adolf Hitler. Click through to see more slip-ups from the sports broadcasting world.

Joe Raymond, AP

"Please Pick Up My Dry Cleaning Tomorrow"
ESPN personality and Monday Night Football commentator Tony Kornheiser responds to a play broadcast in Spanish with an attempt at a joke translation. He ends up apologizing for his comment.

Paul Sakuma, AP

"You Always Fag Out"
College hoops announcer Billy Packer has upset many with abrasive remarks over the years. For example, he went on the Charlie Rose Show in March 2007 and complained to the host, "you always fag out."

Win McNamee/Getty Images

Bernstein's Palestinian Connection
ESPN reporter Bonnie Bernstein issued a public apology after appearing on a radio broadcast and saying "People in Palestine are taught to think that dying in the name of God is a good thing ... They grow up wanting to be suicide bombers."

Brian Ach, WireImage.com

"... Looks Like the Guy Who Cleans Tiger's Swimming Pool"
NBC Sports golf analyst drew the ire of U.S. Open watchers in June when he said contender Rocco Mediate "looks like the guy who cleans Tiger's swimming pool." Miller apologized for his description, saying it had "absolutely nothing to do with his ethnicity."

John Shearer, WireImage.com

"We've Gotta Do This ----ing Thing Over"
The ever-salty Bert Blyleven, pictured here after winning the 1987 World Series, cursed up a storm on live television during a Minnesota Twins pregame show in September 2006.

Getty Images

"Lynch Him in a Back Alley"
Golf Channel anchor Kelly Tilghman gained notoriety during a 2008 PGA Tour telecast when she suggested young golfers might want to take Tiger Woods and "lynch him in a back alley."

Getty Images

Finding Romo's Roots
ESPN analyst On an ESPN radio show in 2006, Michael Irvin said the athletic ability of Cowboys QB Tony Romo is due to his black ancestry, stating, "I don't know who saw what or where, his great-great-great-great-grandma ran over in the 'hood or something went down."

Streeter Lecka/Getty Images

Broadway Joe Gets Fresh
Jets' legendary quarterback Joe Namath talked about how he is more interested in ESPN sideline reporter Suzy Kolber than his struggling Jets during a 2003 game. During a live interview, Namath says (twice) "I want to kiss you" to Kolber.

Brian Bahr/Getty Images

"That's Some Nappy-Headed Hos There ..."
Broadcasting legend Don Imus' show was canceled by CBS Radio in April 2007 because of the firestorm that followed his comments about the Rutgers women's basketball team.

Spencer Platt/Getty Images

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 6)

10-18-2008 @ 5:19PM

Postal Daddy said...

Fire Dr. Lou! The bit is an insult.

10-18-2008 @ 6:11PM

Ryan said...

signed,

Colt McCoy

10-19-2008 @ 9:17AM

jclav said...

Fire Him!!!

Holtz apparently has a lot of enemies after all every school he has ever coached at has been put on NCAA probation after he has left.

However Peter’s problem with Holtz is what he feels was the unfair treatment of his younger brother Damian, at one time a highly touted Notre Dame recruit.

Damian Peter, a 6-foot-7, 300-plus pound offensive lineman from Middletown, N.J., was a member of Notre Dame’s 1994 recruiting class. That summer, however, Peter was seriously injured in a swimming pool accident, breaking the C5 vertebrae in his neck. For several days, doctors feared he might never walk again.

According to Jason Peter, Holtz did not call Damian or establish contact during the course of that summer.

10-19-2008 @ 12:55PM

Auntie said...

As a Jewish woman who lost family to the Holocaust, I do not take offense at what Lou Holtz said. He did not say that Hitler was a leader of "great" things--certainly he wasn't. But, you cannot deny he was a well skilled, manipulative, charismatic (ergo great) leader.

Lou Holtz, on the other hand, is a mean spirited man and a medicore leader.

As a society we have become overly sensitive to political correctness. At the rate we are going we will soon have but a few dozen words that we can use without offending anyone.

10-18-2008 @ 6:12PM

mike said...

2 weeks in a row this clown has had to apologize for on air sensitivities, do the right thing ESPN and get rid of this fossil...

10-19-2008 @ 10:20AM

ROCCO said...

i think mike is right, he has a sort of spotlight on him, so what he say's is heard by millions, he should have his platform taken away.

10-18-2008 @ 7:13PM

claytor said...

This is a bit sad.

We have people who made "Napoleon complex" references.

Oh noes! apologize to anyone who the French stomped NOW!!!

Weve seen references to "circling the wagons."

Oh noes! apologize to anyone whos ancestors braved the western trail now!

Personally, the Hitler reference is great, its demonstrates how awful someone can be, not to mention misguided. Ask Detroit Lions fans who have watched their franchise held hostage by Millen for nearly a decade if Hitler comparisons would be in his realm, ill wait.

Yeah. And seriously, get off the "suffering" trip, how many people have died in wars and their related horrors through the years? Thats right, only the jews suffered, those poor souls. The Moors didnt burn Romans alive in the streets of Constantinople, no. The Native Americans didnt watch everything they were reduced to nothingness so that you have the "freedom" to write this corny blog, no. The Aztecs didnt practically get wholesale slaughtered and manipulated, never that!

This guy shouldnt apologize for anything, especially to you, after all, i dont think YOU'D remember the Armenians.

Oh and for the record? That Hitler line has been used since before either you or i have been born, and is in no way flattering, especially to the man referenced.

10-19-2008 @ 12:18PM

Mark said...

You're an anti-semitic pig, why don't you shut -up?

11-30-2008 @ 12:34PM

Dan said...

Mike, don't be mad that he showed that Lou has no good reason to have to apologize for what should be a meaningless comment!
You call him anti-semitic because he said that the Holocaust really isn't that dissimilar to the Armenian Genocide, or Great Purge (look them up, you'll see how they're similar)

10-18-2008 @ 7:28PM

Bubba said...

NoBama and Tom
thanks for letting us know Lou is not the only small minded one in the world. Read and book and expand the small minds you are borrowing

10-18-2008 @ 7:31PM

Drb said...

Lou has always hated anything West VIrginia, they NEVER once considered him for a Coach although Lou was born in West VIrginia. Everybody knows that. Comparing Rich Rodriguez with hitler gives Rodriguez way too much credit, hitler was a mad man but he was intelligent, and NO Michigan we don't want $4 million to take him back but you can have Stewart real cheap.

10-18-2008 @ 7:34PM

Thorn said...

This doesn't make any sense. The mere mention of the name Hitler shouldn't be any reason for anyone to apologize to anyone else. If it were, I guess history teachers are apologizing every day they address the topic of WWII. It seems that to many people in this country have lost common sense and replaced it with some perverted form of political correctness. Unbelievable!!

10-18-2008 @ 7:40PM

LJRich said...

Small minds in small frames should go back to school and repeat; as it appears that ignorance is on the rise and remember it really isn't blissful to reveal that you are ignorant.

10-18-2008 @ 8:35PM

RedSoxer said...

His comment was foolish, but certainly not meanspirited or incendiary. People who are making a big deal of it simply don't like Lou. I don't care how old he is...he is funnier and smarter than the rest of the crew on ESPN and would never intentionally hurt a soul. We've all misspoke at times. He is human and he did the human thing by apologizing. The rest of us could take a page from his book.

10-18-2008 @ 9:59PM

jeeb said...

He's way old enough to know better. Past time for him to be fired.

10-18-2008 @ 11:31PM

bill said...

So what did he do wrong? Is it against the law to mention the name Hitler?
I just did.

10-20-2008 @ 6:10AM

Ray said...

Hey Gabba Goop, watch your language. You should be able to make your point without all the swearing. For the record, Lou is basically an honorable man who made a bad comment. Give him a little room to be human.

Come on AOL, clean this up!

10-19-2008 @ 6:00AM

encinomangt said...

Hitler was a wack job. However, if you look at some of the technological advances his regieme achieved. If his ego or madness or whatever you want to call it, hadn't made him invade Russia in the Winter; there would be many more Germans and no French.

10-21-2008 @ 6:51AM

Marcyshamb said...

The French are Germans. Yes, Hitler was a monster but a very smart monster, and as likable to his audience as Obama is to his. I don't know much about this person equated with Hitler but if he is hated by his own audience than he was no Hitler...but again,
Obama is.