ESPN analyst Tom Jackson said he regrets failing to respond immediately on the air last week to Rush Limbaugh's comments about the Eagles' Donovan McNabb.
Limbaugh, who joined ESPN as a commentator this season, said Sept. 28 on NFL Sunday Countdown that the media wants McNabb to do well because he is a black quarterback.
Limbaugh, who gained fame as a conservative radio commentator, resigned from ESPN Wednesday.
Jackson and fellow NFL Sunday Countdown commentator Michael Irvin, both former NFL players who are black, didn't react to Limbaugh's comments until Sunday's show, on which they are joined by Chris Berman and former quarterback Steve Young, who are white.
Jackson said Limbaugh's comments "couldn't have been more hurtful."
"The fact that Donovan McNabb's skin color was brought up at all was wrong," Jackson said. "He was brought in to talk football, and he broke that trust."
In a statement released by ESPN, Jackson denied a report in Sunday's New York Post that said he threatened to quit if Limbaugh wasn't fired.
Sunday, after a video recap of the happenings last week, including a replay of Limbaugh's original comments, the ESPN panelists offered their thoughts on the controversy.
Though they agreed someone should have responded to Limbaugh right away, Young compared it to viewing game film the week after a team misses an open receiver in the end zone.
"We all missed it. I missed it. And the truth is, everyone at ESPN missed it," the former quarterback said.
Berman said: "I have been kicking myself all week."
In the first segment Berman introduced a long taped piece by ESPN's Bob Ley, who reviewed the events starting with Limbaugh's remarks and forward to his departure from the show.
Included were comments from a few Democratic candidates for president who called for Limbaugh's ouster.
No ESPN executive appeared in Ley's piece. Ley read only the prepared remarks ESPN issued Wednesday, words not attributed to any person.
Ley did not report an ESPN spokesman's first public response to Limbaugh's remarks, which defended Limbaugh.
BEARS: Quarterback Kordell Stewart was 13-of-24 for 160 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions, persevering through a rough day from hecklers in a section of the north bleachers at Soldier Field. He pointed to one of those fans after his two-point conversion run gave Chicago a 21-18 lead with 6:58 seconds left. "It got vicious," Stewart said.
BENGALS: Cornerback Jeff Burris was taken off the field in an ambulance after injuring his neck in the third quarter. He was not taken to the hospital and the team said his neck was being iced and he will be fine. Burris was hurt when he hit Bills fullback Sam Gash shoulder-first trying to make a tackle.
BILLS: Running back Travis Henry started against Cincinnati after missing last week's game with torn rib cartilage.
COWBOYS: Rookie tight end Jason Witten broke his jaw after a hit from two Arizona linebackers at the end of an 8-yard gain. He jogged off the field, but dropped when he got to the sideline. Also, guards Larry Allen (sprained left knee) and Andre Gurode (sprained right ankle) left briefly but returned.
DOLPHINS: Linebacker Junior Seau, who had a team-high 13 tackles, pulled a hamstring late.
49ERS: Linebacker Jeff Ulbrich left the game against the Lions in the second half with a concussion.
JAGUARS: Attendance at Alltel Stadium was 48,954 and the game was blacked out in Jacksonville. In fact, no markets in Florida carried the game.
PACKERS: Linebacker Torrance Marshall was activated after he completed a four-game suspension for violating the league's substance-abuse policy. Rookie cornerback Erwin Swiney was waived to make room on the roster.
PANTHERS: Quarterback Jake Delhomme, a Louisiana native who spent five seasons as the backup in New Orleans before signing with Carolina in the offseason, said he woke up at 6:05 a.m., too excited about facing his former team to fall back to sleep. "I was fine all week, then when I woke up and looked at the alarm clock I thought, "You've got to be kidding me,' " he said. "I was ready to play. I had to calm myself down a little bit."
TITANS: Cornerback Samari Rolle left in the second quarter against the Patriots with a dislocated elbow.
