Rosie O'Donnell debuted for the second time as a host of The View on Monday and immediately trashed the National Football League as a natural place for abusive men. Discussing players Adrian Peterson and Ray Rice, who have both been accused of attacking family members, O'Donnell spewed, "They live in an arena of [violence] -- it would be wonderful if they were able to separate the violence of their job with the violence in their life! But I don't think that's how human brains work."
Lamenting that "we as a country support football," she continued, "They're taking steroids, which really changes their judgment. They're encouraged and paid to be violent." Rosie Perez, another new co-host debuting Monday, shot back, saying of the late Nelson Mandella, a boxer: "He was the most peaceful, you know man on this planet. So that's not necessarily true. It may be true for a lot, but it's not true for all."
Last week, in an interview with Variety, O'Donnell promised a more "objective" View. Considering that Nicolle Wallace, another new host who debuted on Monday, previously worked for George W. Bush, it could be awkward that the liberal comedienne is a 9/11 truther.
A partial transcript of the September 15 segment is below:
11:15ROSIE O'DONNELL: What's interesting to me is that we, as a country, support football.
WHOOPI GOLDBERG: Uh-huh.
O'DONNELL: They've had studies that show it's life-threatening to every player. They have traumatic brain injuries. They're taking steroids, which really changes their judgment. They're encouraged and paid to be violent. Same with fighters, with boxers. They live in an arena of -- it would be wonderful if they were able to separate the violence of their job with the violence in their life! But I don't think that's how human brains work. And believe me, I don't excuse any violence towards anyone, but I do understand how a guy who knocks people over and pushes them down for a living and gets cheered might do that in his private life, even though it's wrong.
ROSIE PEREZ: Not necessarily. Because, you know, Nelson Mandela was a boxer.
O'DONNELL: Wow. I didn't –
GOLDBERG: Okay? And he was the most peaceful, you know man on this planet. So that's not necessarily true. It may be true for a lot, but it's not true for all.
