Rob Parker Suspended By ESPN For Controversial RGIII Comments

ESPN's commentator Rob Parker caught a lot of people off guard with his comments on Redskins' quarterback Robert Griffin III, including his fellow analysts.

Rob Parker isn't usually someone you hear about. He was taking part in a debate on ESPN 2's 'First Take' and he questioned the 'blackness' of RGII. It was enough to make outspoken, enthusiastic commentator Stephen A. Smith uncomfortable.

ESPN has taken action, and suspended Parker for 30 days. Marcia Keegan, the vice president of production at ESPN. This is her statement:

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.