ESPN on Thursday suspended commentator Rob Parker for 30 days for his comments about Robert Griffin III a week earlier.
The network announced the discipline in a statement by vice president of production Marcia Keegan, who oversees First Take, the show on which Parker called Griffin “kind of black” and a “cornball brother.”
“Our review of the preparation for the show and the re-air has established that mistakes both in judgment and communication were made,” Keegan’s statement read. “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.”
The move came a day after Parker issued an apology for his comments, saying “I blew it and I’m sincerely sorry.”
