Rob Parker’s comments questioning Robert Griffin III’s blackness have finally cost him his job. ESPN announced on Tuesday that they would be firing the “First Take” host.
Here’s the company’s statement on the matter:
“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.”
Parker said on “First Take” Dec. 13 that he wasn’t sure what kind of brother Griffin was. He questioned the quarterback’s blackness, and the episode re-aired throughout the day on ESPN without that part being edited out of the show. As the backlash picked up throughout the day, ESPN finally addressed the comments by calling them “inappropriate.”
ESPN suspended Parker and at least one producer from the show, and then announced Tuesday they decided not to bring back Parker.
In his first extended comments since being suspended, Parker expressed very little remorse for his Griffin remarks. Parker blamed others for his RG3 comments, and then he said the public took his comments out of context. Sports Business Journal’s John Ourand says ESPN made the decision to fire Parker before the host’s interview with Click on Detroit.
