NFL's Double Standard: Dump Rush but Court Sleazy Pop Singer's Ownership Bid

"How can the NFL overlook the a sleazy pop diva's questionable background while holding Limbaugh accountable for comments he's never made," wondered Brian Maloney in a Radio Equalizer blog post yesterday.

While the NFL is presenting itself as merely gun-shy of the controversy Rush Limbaugh would bring to the ownership table, it hardly seems worried about the controversy that a saucy pop star's ownership bid would bring.

Maloney explains, pointing out a double standard between the NFL commissioner scrabbling to denounce Limbaugh while practically encouraging a bid from pop artist Fergie of the Black Eyed Peas, an avid Obama supporter:

According to the AP late Tuesday evening, Fergie (real name: Stacy Ann Ferguson) has been pre-approved at a meeting of team owners before even placing a bid:

MIAMI — Fergie may soon be on the Miami Dolphins’ bandwagon as a limited partner.

NFL owners meeting in Boston this week approved the Black Eyed Peas singer as a part owner, but the team has yet to complete an agreement with her, Dolphins chief executive officer Mike Dee said in an e-mail Tuesday.

Fergie and the Black Eyed Peas already have a marketing partnership with the Dolphins. She wears a pink Dolphins jersey in a campaign this month for breast cancer awareness.

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Fergie, whose real name is Stacy Ann Ferguson, is a Grammy-winning singer and also an actress. Ross has said his celebrity partnerships stir excitement and reflect the vibrancy of South Florida, and he envisions the Dolphins as a glamour team.

Hey, why shouldn't Fergie pass the NFL's political litmus test? As an outspoken Obama supporter who appeared at his nomination acceptance speech in Denver last year, she's got the credentials they're looking for (even if parents are horrified). She also visited with the man whose oratory skills she finds "amazing" at the White House earlier this year.