Rob Parker, a commenter on ESPN's sorry show "First Take," made a number of idiotic comments about Washington Redskins rookie quarterback Robert Griffin III on Thursday.
I avoided writing about the comments because Parker's show is just trolling for attention. It wants publicity, and to respond is to give the show what it wants.
Parker's comments have taken a life of their own since they were made. Now that Griffin's father (RG2) has responded, it felt right to address them. Here are Parker's words:
"Is he a brother, or is he a cornball brother?" Parker asked.
"He's not real. OK, he's black, he kind of does the thing, but he's not really down with the cause. He's not one of us. He's kind of black, but he's not really, like, the guy you want to hang out with because he's off to something else.
"We all know he has a white fiancee. There was all this talk about how he's a Republican ... Tiger Woods was like, 'I've got black skin, but don't call me black.'Â "
Robert Griffin II, a military veteran, told Jim Corbett of USA Today that he was baffled by Parker's comments but didn't want to fire back. RG2 addressed what Parker said.
"He needs to define what 'one of us' is. That guy needs to define that," RG2 said. "I wouldn't say it's racism. I would just say some people put things out there about people so they can stir things up.
"Robert is in really good shape on who he is, where he needs to get to in order to seek the goals he has in life ... so I don't take offense."
The younger Griffin tweeted Thursday night: "I'm thankful for a lot of things in life and one of those things is your support. Thank you."
ESPN released a statement saying Parker's comments were "inappropriate." After first "evaluating" what to do next, Richard Deitsch for Sport Illustrated reported Parker has been suspended "until further notice" by ESPN, who are "conducting a full review."
Follow Gregg Rosenthal on Twitter @greggrosenthal.
