Jacobson back on the air.

Evidently, protests from those who are offended for a living are not quite as effective as they used to be.

ESPN First Take anchor Dana Jacobson has yet to be fired, and in fact returned to the air today, after being suspended for one week following a drunken rant at the Mike and Mike roast earlier this month. Jacobson hosted First Take from the studio while co-hosts Jay Crawford and Skip Bayless were at the site of Super Bowl XLII.

Jacobson apologized for her comments, which included “[expletive] Touchdown Jesus and [expletive] Jesus”, and read a statement of apology on air:

There’s been a lot of attention surrounding my inappropriate behavior and comments at a roast earlier this month of my friends Mike and Mike. I want to once again say how truly sorry I am for my poor choices and bad judgment that night. I’ve taken responsibility for what I did say and do, and realize why it was wrong.

There are no do-overs in life, so all I can do is what we all do when we make mistakes: learn from them. As a person and even a broadcaster, I can tell you I have already learned a lot from mine. Several people told me last week, ‘mistakes do not define us, it’s how we respond to those mistakes that does.’ I believe that. I hope you can forgive me, and allow my future to define me.

Finally, I want to thank my family, friends and viewers who have shown me support during this difficult time. Most importantly, ESPN, for its unwavering support, and the opportunity to return to this job — the job that I love.

In a surprising move, Catholic League leader Bill Donohue — not known for making reasoned, rational arguments — recently releasing a statement that seems to almost forgive Jacobson for her comments.

To be sure, Jacobson?s remarks were patently offensive; no one involved in this incident, including her, is maintaining otherwise. But it is also true that there is no evidence that what we are dealing with is a bigot?lots of people who have made bigoted comments are not inveterate bigots. No, what we are dealing with is a person who went off the rails while drunk at a raucous event.