Rob Parker Let Go By ESPN
(WSCR) Rob Parker's time with ESPN is officially over.
Just as his 30-day suspension for racial remarks regarding Robert Griffin III was about to expire, the network announced the First Take analyst would not be returning.
"Rob Parker's contract expired at year's end. Evaluating our needs and his work, including his recent RGIII comments, we decided not to renew his deal."
In an episode of First Take aired last month, Parker questioned Griffin's commitment to the African American community.
"Is he a brother, or is he a cornball brother," Parker asked, referring to Griffin. "… He's not one of us."
"I keep hearing these things. We all know he has a white fiancée. There was all this talk about he's a Republican."
Originally, ESPN decided a 30-day suspension was a fitting punishment, releasing the following statement last month:
"ESPN has decided to suspend Rob Parker for 30 days for his comments made on last Thursday's episode of First Take. Our review of the preparation for the show and the re-air has established that mistakes both in judgment and communication were made. As a direct result, clearly inappropriate content was aired and then re-aired without editing. Both were errors on our part.
"To address this, we have enhanced the editorial oversight of the show and have taken appropriate disciplinary measures with the personnel responsible for these failures. We will continue to discuss important issues in sports on First Take, including race. Debate is an integral part of sports and we will continue to engage in it on First Take. However, we believe what we have learned here and the steps we have taken will help us do all that better."
Now, however, it appears the network decided it was necessary to permanently split ties with Parker.
