DeSean Jackson uses gay slurs on siriusxm

Five months after appearing on “The View” to support a 13-year-old boy who had been attacked by classmates, Eagles Pro Bowl receiver DeSean Jackson is making off-the-field headlines of a different nature.

And he’s taken a defensive stance in the aftermath.

Jackson, appearing on a hip-hop radio show late last month, used a multiword gay slur in response to a berating caller.

“

Jackson They looking to take ya down at all times no matter how positive and what you do! It’s always a way they try to get ya. I’m standing tall.
” — Eagles receiver DeSean Jackson
on Twitter

Jackson took calls on Sirius XM’s “All Out Show with Rude Jude and Lord Sear” on June 30, replying in passing to a derogatory question about Jackson’s toughness. Jackson responded, “What kind of question is that?” followed by the gay slurs.

Jackson issued a statement Saturday, saying he meant no harm.

“In a recent radio interview a caller got really confrontational with me,” Jackson said through a spokesperson. “I got very heated with the caller, took it a bit too far and did not mean to offend anybody. I meant no disrespect and a better choice of words was needed.”

Responding presumably to accounts of his comments in the media, Jackson took to Twitter on Friday night, saying he was “standing tall” despite the negative publicity.

Deadspin.com first reported the comments, with audio provided by DCFanatic.com.

In his cryptic Twitter-style message written in all capital letters, Jackson wrote: “They looking to take ya down at all times no matter how positive and what you do! It’s always a way they try to get ya. I’m standing tall.”

Jackson also wrote: “Wanna bring me down but I’m OK. They trying to knock me off but I’m still on!”

One of the show’s hosts, “Rude” Jude, told Deadspin he hoped the star receiver didn’t apologize, characterizing the exchange as a joke.

Jackson “is a hood dude,” and for “hood cats,” Jude said, according to the website.

“I don’t think he’s homophobic,” Jude said, according to Deadspin. “He’s joking.”

In February, Jackson was featured on ABC’s “The View” in a surprise appearance during a show about Nadin Khoury, a boy who had been bullied by schoolmates.

Jackson was voted to the Pro Bowl in 2009 and 2010. He has 3,135 receiving yards and 17 touchdowns in three seasons.

There was no immediate comment from the Eagles, according to CSNPhilly.

Neither Jackson nor his agent, Drew Rosenhaus, could be reached for comment, according to The Philadelphia Inquirer.

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell consistently has stated that players are subject to review and discipline under the personal-conduct policy for potential violations even during the current lockout.

NFL spokesman Greg Aiello, contacted by ESPN Saturday morning, said: “We will decline comment at this time.”

Information from ESPN senior NFL analyst Chris Mortensen was used in this report.

http://sports.espn.go.com/los-angeles/nfl/news/story?id=6751846

Sirius vs. Stern: The Battle Continues

NEW YORK (TheStreet) — Howard Stern’s battle with Sirius XM (SIRI_) has been relatively quiet in recent months.

But on June 28, the brazen radio personality filed several affidavits, dissolving any notions that the suit would quietly disappear.

According to Deadline.com, Stern’s longtime agent Don Buchwald contacted Sirius in early 2010 regarding the compensation. “Sirius’ lawyer claimed that the subscribers on the XM platform did not count toward the total number of Sirius subscribers and pointed out that we had already received the ‘merger bonus,’ ” Buchwald wrote.

“Our Agreement is clear — the stock awards based upon the total number of subscribers that the company has at the end of any given year,” Stern wrote in the affidavit, according to Deadline.com. “When we were negotiating the agreement, Don raised with Sirius the possibility that Sirius and XM might combine. Sirius never said that, if that happened, it would not count the new subscribers for purposes of the stock awards. … I do not understand how the company can brag that it has more than 20 million subscribers, and then turn around and tell me that only half of them count. All of these subscribers are subscribers of Sirius. Sirius has pointed to them as a measure of the company’s success, and the whole purpose of the performance-based stock awards was to allow me to share in that success.”

Stern previously filed a suit in March against Sirius, alleging that the satellite radio company failed to pay him $75 million in contracted bonuses when it merged with XM. Sirius countered with a filing seeking summary judgment.

In recent weeks, Stern has voiced his displeasure with Sirius, saying on the air that he doesn’t feel comfortable at the company.

“It didn’t feel like my pictures belonged [in my office] anymore. … I actually started thinking, ‘I don’t know if my stuff is safe here,’ ” Stern said. “It’s an emotional feeling. … All of a sudden it didn’t feel like this was home.”

Stern signed a five-year contract extension with Sirius just three months before he filed suit against the company.

June 2011 Auto Sales Weaker Than May but at Good Levels for Sirius XM

July 4, 2011 (12:58 pm) Spencer Osborne

June 2011 auto sales are in and the good news is that the numbers are great news for Sirius XM Satellite Radio (NASDAQ:SIRI). The bad news is that sales were slightly weaker than a bad May, and the SAAR (Seasonally Adjusted Annualized Rate) came in at only 11.4 million. This means that not only were the raw numbers slightly weaker, but the SAAR dropped from 11.8 million as well. As Sirius XM investors should be well aware of by now, the auto sector news will impact SIRI.

For the quarter, nearly 3.3 million cars were sold. With a 60% penetration rate this would equate to nearly 2 million promotional subscribers being brought into the fold. This should enable the company to report good metrics across the board during their Q2 conference call which is anticipated to be held in early August.

The key thing that investors must understand is that not all of these promotional subscribers are counted in Sirius XM’s subscriber numbers. There are three distinct sub-categories of promotional subscribers. Leading subscribers are those that are counted at the time of production (green in the chart). Point-of-Sale subscribers are those counted at the time of sale (yellow in the chart), and Trailing subscribers are only counted if the elect to become self paying.

As you can see the Leading category is currently dominating the quarter. Over 40% of the cars sold during Q2 came from this category. What does this mean? Simply stated it means that the pool of Leading subscribers is bigger than normal, and the subscriber numbers will benefit from this dynamic. The contrast to that is the Trailing category, which is weaker than normal. This means that the pipeline of potential subscribers was not being filled at the rat is was in Q1 prior to the disaster in Japan. On the positive side, the Trailing category gets assistance from CPO programs and GM’s new used car deal with Sirius XM.

 

Looking at the auto sector from both a monthly and quarterly perspective, Sirius XM is in great shape. Over 1 million cars sold in June, and the average for the quarter was 1.1 million cars sold per month. Looking at the auto channel in the second half of the year things look fine as well. Ford recently stated that they anticipate sales to climb through the second half of the year. At the half way point of 2011 auto sales are already at 6.3 million. By simply doubling this number the year would bring sales in at 12.6 million. Most analysts are anticipating that 2011 sales will be near 13 million. The combination of Ford and GM alone could push 2011 sales above 13 million.

As always, being in the know on what is actually good news for Sirius XM may not mean that we see this positive news reflected in the stock price. What oft happens is that the overall news of the sector rules the day. While good news did come out for many brands, the weaker sales of several were a drag on the sector. If headlines this weak center on the low SAAR, Sirius XM could see a dip happen. If you trade the equity this may well present a buying opportunity prior to the typical pre-conference call run-up.