Limbaugh initially stated he was unable to recall saying the statement in the quotes in question. After Limbaugh's staff researched the quotes and were unable to find reference to them other than the book, Limbaugh emailed the Associated Press a statement: "The totally made-up and fabricated quotes attributed to me in recent media reports are outrageous and slanderous." Limbaugh stated on his radio program: "There's a quote out there that I first saw it in the "St. Louis Post-Dispatch" last week that I somehow, some time ago, defended slavery and started cracking jokes about it. And, you know, you say a lot of things in the course of 15 hours a week, over the course of 21 years. We've gone back, we have looked at everything we have. There is not even an inkling that any words in this quote are accurate. It's outrageous, but it's totally predictable. It's being repeated by people who have never listened to this program, they certainly didn't hear it said themselves because it was never said." The reporting of the quote and its attribution to Limbaugh hurt his attempts to purchase the St. Louis Rams, and National Football League Commissioner Roger Goodell stated he did not think the quotes attributed to Limbaugh "accurately reflect the league and its players".