Bill O'Reilly in poor company

By Emily Ngo, amNewYork Nation/World Editor | engo@am-ny.com

September 27, 2007

Bill O'Reilly's comments about the diners at Sylvia's have him in danger of joining a rogue's gallery of prominent white men who were brought down by their ill-considered public remarks.

Al Campanis
The former general manager of the Dodgers who, in April 1987, was asked on "Nightline" why there are so few black managers in baseball. Campanis replied they "may not have some necessities to be a field manager or, perhaps, a general manager."

Jimmy "The Greek" Snyder

The football commentator was fired by CBS in January 1988 for saying blacks were naturally superior athletes because "during the slave trading, the owner -- the slave owner would breed his big black to his big woman so that he could have a big black kid."

Doug "The Greaseman" Tracht
The shock jock was eventually fired from Washington D.C.-based WARW in February 1999 for comments relating to the 1998 dragging murder of James Byrd. He played a Lauryn Hill song, then commented "and they wonder why we drag them behind trucks."

Rush Limbaugh
The commentator resigned from an analyst position on ESPN after degrading Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb in September 2003. He said of McNabb: "The media has been very desirous that a black quarterback do well. he got a lot of credit .. that he didn't deserve."

Michael Richards
The "Seinfeld" actor shouted racial epithets at an audience member during a stand-up performance in Los Angeles in November 2006. He used the N-word at least seven times.

Don Imus
The shock jock's show was canceled in April 2007 after he insulted the Rutgers University women's basketball team. He said "That's some rough girls from Rutgers. That's some nappy-headed hoes there."