Well, in the post-2016 landscape, Bill Maher is more at odds with liberal America than ever before especially on free speech issues. Alas, he decided to hurl another grenade inside the tent, taking aim at the Washington Redskins’ actions against defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio for calling the January 6 riot a dust-up compared to the 2020 riots that burned down half the country.
Maher also disagrees with that take as well, but that’s America. That’s free speech. You can have bad opinions. You can be wrong. It’s fine. There are folks who still think the Earth is flat. There are others who feel that the Moon is hollow and might have been created by aliens. There are folks who think the world is controlled by shape-shifting reptilian humanoids. There are people who think the chemicals in the water are turning shellfish and frogs gay. There are people who think High-frequency Active Auroral Research Program (HAARP) is a secret government program trying to weaponize the weather. Denver International Airport could be a major hub for those behind the New World Order. There’s the chemtrails crew. There are a lot of loopy opinions out there—and they can be wrong. It’s not a crime (via Fox News):
On Friday’s episode of HBO’s Real Time with Bill Maher, the host defended Washington Commanders (formerly the Washington Redskins) defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio’s right to his "s---ty take" about the January 6 Capitol riot.
Last Wednesday, Del Rio criticized what he saw as over-hyped media coverage of the January 6 Committee hearings.
In a fateful statement to reporters after practice, Del Rio referred to the Capitol Riot as a "dust-up at the Capitol" that people are making a "major deal" as opposed to the riots following the 2020 death of George Floyd, which he claimed people had "no problem" with.
[…]
Though Maher and his Friday night guests, liberal commentator Krystal Ball and conservative author James Kerchick expressed that Del Rio’s punishment was too tough.
Maher started the topic, explaining what Del Rio said, and mentioned that although he doesn’t agree with it, "this is a very common view that he has."
[…]
"They fined him, the team fined him, $100,000 for this opinion. Fining people for an opinion. I am not down with that," Maher declared.
[…]
Maher responded … "To have a s---ty take is not a crime."
And given that there have been multiple professional athletes, including those in the NFL, who have peddled anti-Semitic remarks and slurs—the punishment Del Rio received was absurd. He deleted his Twitter account in the aftermath. Also, it seemed the team really didn’t care. The front office did apparently even though they don’t have a leg to stand on when it comes to pretty much anything given all the scandals they’re marinating in, from sexual misconduct to cooking the books on revenue. Also, no one cares about January 6.