Governor Rendell Angered Over Postponement Of Eagles Game

PHILADELPHIA, Pa. (CBS) - Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell (D) tells Eyewitness News the NFL is "symptomatic of the wussification of America" for postponing Sunday night's Eagles game until Tuesday night.

Governor Rendell stands by his comments, made largely on sports talk radio over the last day and a half, that America is becoming a "nation of wusses." He says Sunday's snow storm was not a reason to postpone the football game.

(Click HERE to listen to what Governor Rendell had to say on 610WIP.)

The governor says the NFL's decision to move the game is an example of how the nation is losing the characteristics that made it great.

"This is an example of the wussification of America," he said Tuesday. "We used to be a country that had boldness, had courage, had a sense of adventure, had a pioneer spirit, and that's what built this country, and made it the greatest in the world.

"There's no canceling a football game for bad weather. It's the magical moments that make football a special sport. It's the only sport that's played regardless of the weather," said Governor Rendell.

The governor said it should have been left to the fans to decide if they were going to take the risk of going to the game. He called the NFL a "nanny" state.

The governor says he is so passionate about this because he was in the stands for a Cleveland Browns - New York Giants game in heavy snow in 1958, and the game's finale has become one of his clearest memories. In that game, Giants kicker Pat Summerall made a 49-yard field goal to put the Giants up 13-10, sending them on to the NFL playoffs.

"It's 52 years later now, I can close my eyes, and I can see the ball going through the air. I remember it just like it was yesterday," he said. "It's those magic memories that we're losing because we have become a nation that just seems to be afraid of its shadow."

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Reported by Ben Simmoneau, CBS 3