Phil Mushnick of the New York Post considers former Bucs great Warren Sapp to be a bigot.

Joe absolutely loves Phil Mushnick of the New York Post. Loves him. Joe considers Mushnick to possibly be the best sports scribe in America.

So Joe wasn’t surprised to read a Mushnick column where Joe’s favorite columnist lashed out at former Bucs great Warren Sapp as a bigot.

Background: Sapp, and his former Bucs teammate, Meshawn Johnson, do not get along. In recent weeks Sapp has called out Meshawn for being a “malcontent” and worse, “a bitch.” Joe even has the video of the latest incident.

Since, Sapp has apologized to Meshawn for the latter comment after he was scolded by his mother for uttering such a remark.

But in Mushnick’s eyes, the apology wasn’t enough.

After insulting more than half the country’s population with a bigoted, misogynistic comment – trashing Keyshawn Johnson as “a bitch” – NFL Network/Showtime/CBS employee Warren Sapp has issued an apology . . . but only to Keyshawn Johnson…

The segment was on tape, thus it could have been edited, but Showtime apparently was pleased with Sapp’s remark, highlighting it in a promotional press release…

Sapp was sorry for offending Johnson by comparing him to that low form of human life, women, and, worse, for degrading him by calling him a crude word usually applied to women. So sorry, Keyshawn.

Though the apology is shamefully misdirected and as ugly as Sapp’s original offense, no matter, end of story. Carry on, Warren Sapp.

Though some sports commentators have been fired for less – condemned to Wikipedia as a racist or a pea-brained bigot – Sapp, Thursday, worked the NFL Network’s Bengals-Steelers telecast having not suffered even a public scolding from the NFL or from Showtime, a CBS subsidiary.

Then again, that Sapp’s playing career was loaded with unsportsmanlike penalties, fines and suspensions helped make him attractive to TV.

Though Joe can’t read enough of Mushnick, let’s be honest: We do not live in the 1950s any longer. Sapp’s comment was on Showtime, a pay-per-view cable channel where far, far worse things are seen and heard on a nightly basis. To unload on Sapp for such a remark – in relative terms, a tame remark – one wonders what Mushnick thinks of the rest of the late-night programming on Showtime?

We live in too much of an airbrushed age, where everything out of someone’s mouth must seemingly be spoken in language that would comfort a kindergartener, no matter if it’s accurate or not, as Mushnick points out in seperate yet brilliant column. Seems as though accuracy and truth are secondary so long as someone is not offended — which is primary. It’s as if adults have to be treated as children.

Sadly, the truth sometimes hurts

Joe considers what Sapp said to be a breath of fresh air. Sapp doesn’t like Meshawn. And he said as much in very direct if not crude terms. Bravo!

If only BSPN wasn’t so hypersensitive, Joe is convinced Meshawn would have had some very pointed comebacks at Sapp. Sadly, Meshawn is (rightfully) paranoid that he will be fired. Just look at what BSPN did to Rush Limbaugh and Michael Irvin.