In case you missed it yesterday -- and to be honest, you're probably better off if you missed it -- Rob Parker of ESPN's "First Take" made some ill-advised and downright offensive comments about Washington Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin III regarding his race and how he chooses to portray it. You can read the entire transcript here if you feel inclined to do so.
Now, I purposely didn't write about this yesterday because it would have given Parker the attention that he obviously craved by making such ludicrous remarks -- though "First Take" is known for doing just that on the regular -- and I am also far from qualified to speak or opine about race in any way, shape or form. I, however, feel that most of you would like to know that Parker has been suspended by ESPN for his comments until further notice.
As expected, Griffin did not respond to any of the comments, instead taking to Twitter to thank his fans for their support. On Wednesday, Griffin made it clear that he refused to be defined by his race, which was the catalyst for the contentious discussion in the first place.
"For me, you don't ever want to be defined by the color of your skin,'' he said. "You want to be defined by your work ethic, the person you are, your character, your personality. I am an African-American in America, but I don't have to be defined by that."
As for Parker, he faced a firestorm of criticism -- and rightfully so -- throughout Thursday, but especially on Twitter, where fans could voice their displeasure directly to him. One tweet in particular stuck out to me:
“@robertaloblaw: @robparkerespn Good luck in your next line of work!” Typical silly response. Watch me on First Take tomorrow and Sat.#pleze
— Rob Parker (@RobParkerESPN) December 13, 2012
He was not on the air Friday (ESPN did not address the comments on Friday's show) and won't be for the foreseeable future.
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