Don Imus got the old heave-ho — how appropriate — last Thursday when CBS finally decided to fire the longtime radio personality.

What I don't understand is what took CBS president and CEO Les Moonves so long to drop the biggest of punishments.

After the National Broadcasting Hall-of-Fame member called the Rutgers women's basketball team "nappy-headed hos" on his show — the morning following the Scarlet Knights' loss in the NCAA championship game, no less — CBS Radio seemed to run and hide.

Sadly, there are a lot worse things being bantered around out there and there have been a lot of people closely involved who did not care if Imus was fired or not.

To me, Imus is just another outdated thinker on the airwaves. But to CBS, he was a cash cow.

I didn't care one way or another if he was fired. He made a ridiculous, stupid remark, and if the team and coach C. Vivian Stringer would accept his apology, that's fine by me.

But a two-week suspension as the first punishment? That sounds like a vacation. And that came a few days after protests and outrage came from every direction.

Moonves said Imus would be suspended, then it was up to him how his future would pan out.

Moonves never should have given Imus that chance. If you really wanted to make a statement and not fire him immediately, then make it a one-month, two-month or even three-month suspension. As a start.

Show the public you truly would not stand for this type of behavior.

Instead, let's tap dance around the problem and maybe it will just go away. Moonves was wrong.

The problem only got worse. Protests outside the New York offices, meetings with religious leaders such as Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton, buzz around the country making this a hot-button topic. Losing advertisers (ouch) and losing the simulcast on MSNBC only swelled public opinion.

But money clouds a lot of things, especially good judgment. It's been reported Imus's show rakes in about $15 million annually to CBS.

Alas, Moonves decided enough was enough and fired Imus Thursday — when Imus was doing his annual Radiothon, which has raised more than $40 million for charities over the past 18 years.

I'm sure Imus is not the horrible person being depicted, but he has built a reputation of taking potshots at politicians and others he does not agree with.

But, if you make your living on the radio, you have to know when you cross the line, even in this day and age.

I'm sure this won't mark the end of Imus. Some station will take a chance on him — and a profitable one — once this story dies down and some other social injustice is brought to the forefront.

Hopefully, the lesson for everyone down the road is it doesn't have to be about money — just common decency.