ESPN suspends Rob Parker for RG3 comments

Washington Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin III passes the ball during the first half of an NFL football game against the New York Giants in Landover, Md., Monday, Dec. 3, 2012. / AP Photo/Patrick Semansky

NEW YORK ESPN has handed commentator Rob Parker a 30-day suspension for questioning the "blackness" of Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin III.

The network announced the suspension Thursday, a day after Parker apologized for comments he made during a Dec. 13 episode of "First Take".

Posting to Twitter, Parker said, "I blew it and I'm sincerely sorry. I completely understand how the issue of race in sports is a sensitive one and needs to be handled with great care."

Parker, who is black, was discussing Griffin's role as an African-American quarterback when he noted that Griffin has a white fiance and is rumored to be a Republican.

Among his comments, Parker said, "Is he a brother or a cornball brother?"

[BWB2020]

I just hope that he doesn't apologize.

Responsibility of free speech is the other side of the right to free speech,

Mr. Parker should accept the consequence of what he said, and move on, even though his questions were valid ones.

There are those who cannot deal with the concepts, and would rather pretend that such issues do not exist, and his show was not the proper place to address the insult that Mr. Griffin made to his ancestors, and to America as a whole.

Next time, I would hope Mr. Parker's agents would get him a booking on shows on networks where such topics can be discussed in depth, such as BET.

Even though it is owned by VIACOM, at least BET does provide a venue where "black" audiences can hear discussions on issues of interest to the "black" community that are shunned or ignored by the other networks.

[dadrees-2009]

i've seen and heard parker for years here in detroit. there atre time when he can seem as racist as a black man can be however, i8 think he feels a great responsibility toward his race that sometimes causes him to speak without thinking. i'm pretty sure he probably is just an equalopportunity jerk more often than not.

[06171944]

It's crap like this that continues the racial problem and coming from a black man. What should RGIII do? Change his life to fit what you want. Go RGIII do what you feel is right for you.

[ohboy231]

He should be fired and learn a lesson.

But I guess you can't fire a high-profile black.

[BeaverBobb]

if were a white man saying that to another white man about his black wife, he would be fired, the president would make a speech about it, and all the racist blacks like sharpton and jackson would come out of the cracks again.