Good grief, I can already hear you saying. Not another one of those "You can't believe what you heard some assholish media member say today" stories that media types banter about, and by doing so, give more exposure to the assholish media member who made the bullshit statement in the first place.
Yeah, it's one of those stories. Sorry.
First, a little background. In a couple of interviews in the last few weeks, as he has continued to blow up beyond his accomplishments at Baylor, Washington Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin III has been asked questions about being a black quarterback in D.C.
Now, D.C. has the nickname of "Chocolate City," and the Redskins are the only franchise in NFL history to have a black quarterback win a Super Bowl (Doug Williams, who was also MVP of Super Bowl XXII). So I can understand why the questions come up.
Here is how Griffin has answered the question in the two interviews. In response to a question during a special on Comcast Sports Net, Griffin said this:
Whenever you can relate to the population of the team that you play for, I think it makes it that much more special. I don’t play too much into the color game, because I don’t want to be the best African American quarterback, I want to be the best quarterback.
But to the fans, and to the fans who think that way and look at me as an African American, it’s important that I succeed, not only for this team, but for them. Because it gives them that motivation, that hey, you know, an African American went out and played quarterback for my Washington Redskins. So I appreciate that; I don’t ever downplay anything like that. Whoever I can go out every week and motivate to do better and to try to go after their dreams, I’m up for that.
I am [aware] of how race is relevant to [some fans]. I don’t ignore it. I try not to be defined by it, but I understand different perspectives and how people view different things. So I understand they’re excited their quarterback is an African American. I play with a lot of pride, a lot of character, a lot of heart. So I understand that, and I appreciate them for being fans.
Keep that background in mind as we head into the actual minefield here.
Rob Parker is a writer with ESPN New York. He used to work at the Detroit News until he, well, let's just say that he made a few mistakes. Like, for example, alleging that then Michigan State quarterback Kirk Cousins (who now, funnily enough, is Robert Griffin III's backup in Washington, D.C.) was involved in fight that sent a hockey player to the hospital. Turns out that wasn't, well, true.
Or trying (and failing) to make a joke about then Detroit Lions head coach Rod Marinelli's daughter, who was married to his defensive coordinator during the disastrous 0-16 season. Parker claimed in his column after the incident that he was trying to make a joke. Marinelli didn't think it was funny at all. Neither did the paper.
But hey, why not say shit that isn't true or funny and see what it can get you, right?
Apparently, in 2012, it gets you a seat on ESPN's First Take with the complete hack Skip Bayless and the blustery Stephen A. Smith. It gives you a chance to say, well, this:
Wow.
Really?
In 2012, you're going to go there, of all places?
In case you can't watch the video, I'm pulling out what Parker said, eliminating the cross talk and the questions from the other panelists. I want to give you the full essence of what Parker said.
I’ve talked to some people down in Washington D.C., friends of mine, who are around and at some of the press conferences, people I’ve known for a long time. But my question, which is just a straight honest question. Is he a brother, or is he a cornball brother?
Well, [that] he’s black, he kind of does his 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 the guy you’d really want to hang out with, because he’s off to do something else.
Well, because I want to find out about him. I don’t know, because I keep hearing these things. We all know he has a white fiancĂ©e. There was all this talk about he’s a Republican, which, there’s no information [about that] at all. I’m just trying to dig deeper as to why he has an issue. Because we did find out with Tiger Woods, Tiger Woods was like I’ve got black skin but don’t call me black. So people got to wondering about Tiger Woods early on.
Now that’s different. To me, that’s very urban and makes you feel like…wearing braids, you’re a brother. You’re a brother if you’ve got braids on.
Maybe it's because I'm from a different generation. Maybe it's my own life experiences filtering in, and my own personal relationships that color how I see this rant. As someone who married a white woman and even had people wonder if I was gay growing up in East Harlem because I spoke, "too white," comments like this elicit this reaction from me:
Pure, seething anger.
According to Dan Steinberg of DC Sports Bog, Parker was later asked to clarify his comments, and he said this, "I didn’t mean it like that,” he said. “We could sit here and be honest, or we can be dishonest. And you can’t tell me that people in the barbershops or people that talk, they look at who your spouse is. They do. And they look at how you present yourself. People will say all the time, you’re not gonna get a job in corporate America wearing those braids. (Emphasis Dan's.) It happens all the time. Let’s not act like it doesn’t, because it does.”
Except somebody apparently forgot to tell Rob Parker that HE WASN'T IN THE FUCKING BARBERSHOP!
He was on national television, seen in many places across this great varied nation, and was spewing this vile, insensitive, ass-backward, ignorant, ill-informed rhetoric across the airwaves.
I don't care if it is said in the barbershop. Let it be said in the barbershop. ESPN might be played in barbershops, but you are not having that conversation there.
Silly me, I guess, having the expectation that intelligent, thoughtful discourse would be used on a national network instead of silly remarks about someone not being black enough because they have white fiancee or might be a Republican. And I'll throw the Republican remark out there but then also add a tag like, hey, I don't know this for sure, but if he's taken up with a white chick, then we all know what that means, am I right? Wink wink nudge nudge.
And I know, I know. I'm probably part of the problem, because I've sat down to report on this situation and add my own thoughts to it, thus continuing to feed the flames and give more heat and light to this controversy than it really deserves. I get that, I do.
However, I think it speaks to a larger issue that surrounds ESPN programming and this whole, "Embrace Debate" mantra that has swallowed up most of the oxygen.
It speak to the further devaluation of the televison brand, in my mind, that this show consumes 5 hours of programming on ESPN2 every day. One of those hours is a "best of" hour 30 minutes after the initial 4 hour block has aired.
Whether it's the lies and race baiting that Skip Bayless has done in the past, or Stephen A. Smith saying the "N" word and then claiming he didn't say it and that we all misheard him because sometimes he talks to fast to the buffonery that Rob Parker just pulled Thursday, it is no question to me that ESPN is rewarding trollish behavior.
Again, I probably need to state that those of us who take to social media and rant and rave and argue about who should get fired for forgetting that they are at work instead of hanging out with their friends are just as much to blame as those who say the stupid things. There has to be a reason for ESPN devoting most of their day on ESPN2 to First Take. It has to be bringing in some revenue even if it is a major trollfest from most reports I see or hear. I admit, I have watched the show one time in my life while getting my car fixed. That was the longest two hours of my life, and I am never getting that time back.
According to ESPN's PR department (spinmasters, engage!):
For those asking for ESPN Statement on Rob Parker: "The comments were inappropriate and we are evaluating our next steps."
— David Scott (@ESPNprDScott) December 14, 2012
Uh-huh.
You're right.
Those comments were inappropriate.
But you also went ahead and aired those comments during the "Best of" show. So obviously, they weren't that inappropriate, or you would've scrubbed those comments away as quickly as possible.
However, if you did that, you wouldn't have been able to get another wave of publicity off of said comments, either.
And so the beat goes on.
I guess being the loudest, most ill-informed voice in the room does get paid.
But this also serves to push me further away from ESPN.
*UPDATE* Sometimes, I'm okay being wrong. Although I don't understand what "full review" means. Full review of Parker's comments? Or a full review of the show, its mission statement and its conduct over the last couple of years
Following yesterday’s comments, Rob Parker has been suspended until further notice.We are conducting a full review.
— Mike Soltys (@espnmikes) December 14, 2012
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