Rob Parker Out at ESPN in Wake Of “Cornball Brother” RG3 Comments

All, ESPN, Jerks Ty Duffy January 8th. 2013, 2:46pm

ESPN has decided not to renew Rob Parker’s contract, after Parker was suspended for questioning RG3′s blackness on First Take, asking whether he was a “cornball brother.” According to SBJ’s John Ourand, the decision was made before his interview.

Statement via ESPN PR:

Rob Parker’s contract expired at year end. Evaluating our needs and his work, including his recent RGIII comments, we decided not to renew.

Cutting ties with Parker was not surprising. It was the easy PR move, peripheral to the true problem: the editorial process that allowed such subject matter to air. Thoughtful racial discourse should be welcomed. There’s a difference between being thoughtful and using race to troll for ratings.

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32 Responses to “Rob Parker Out at ESPN in Wake Of “Cornball Brother” RG3 Comments”

1
reggie_dunlap Says:
January 8th, 2013 at 2:50 PM
What a corn hole.
2
jstaylor62 Says:
January 8th, 2013 at 2:52 PM
I wonder if Doug Gottlieb said something on his show that made ESPN start thinking? Gottlieb seems to be the only voice of criticism that ESPN listens to…
3
GloriousMullet Says:
January 8th, 2013 at 2:56 PM
He got canned. Good. Let’s stop giving this dickhole interweb time.
4
T.E. Says:
January 8th, 2013 at 2:56 PM
Didn’t Jalen Rose come out and essentially say that Grant Hill and other black Duke basketball players were Uncle Tom’s because they came from a two-parent household? Outside of a few days of criticism, nothing happened to him.
5
Nada Says:
January 8th, 2013 at 2:56 PM
Evaluating our needs and his work, including his recent RGIII mishandling, we decided not to renew
Some would say the Skins need to make the same move with Shanny.
6
Blue Horseshoe Loves Anacott Steel Says:
January 8th, 2013 at 2:56 PM
see ya fucking later
7
Chelsea Chris Says:
January 8th, 2013 at 2:57 PM
Good News: ESPN raised its collective intellect with this decision.
Bad News: ESPN’s collective intellect is still located somewhere south of average.
8
Blue Horseshoe Loves Anacott Steel Says:
January 8th, 2013 at 2:57 PM
Didn’t Jalen Rose come out and essentially say that Grant Hill and other black Duke basketball players were Uncle Tom’s because they came from a two-parent household? Outside of a few days of criticism, nothing happened to him.
Nothing except getting a DUI days later. Ugh
9
Chelsea Chris Says:
January 8th, 2013 at 2:58 PM
Didn’t Jalen Rose come out and essentially say that Grant Hill and other black Duke basketball players were Uncle Tom’s because they came from a two-parent household? Outside of a few days of criticism, nothing happened to him.
It’s a little different when you are talking about how you felt 20 years ago as a 20 or 21 year old. The comment added context to the Michigan-Duke story that was being told.
10
Patrick Patterson-Kidd-Gilchrist Says:
January 8th, 2013 at 2:58 PM
Does “evaluating needs” mean to keep using songs that show up on iPod commercials, just so the Facebook crowd will think ESPN is cool? Willy Moon can go fuck himself and so can the person who decided using that song was a good idea…
/Yeah, I watched First Take this morning. Sue me.
11
Ty Duffy Says:
January 8th, 2013 at 3:00 PM
Didn’t Jalen Rose come out and essentially say that Grant Hill and other black Duke basketball players were Uncle Tom’s because they came from a two-parent household? Outside of a few days of criticism, nothing happened to him.
If I remember correctly, he said that’s what the Fab Five guys thought in the 1990s. Not sure why you would punish someone for candidly reflecting in a documentary.
12
Sir Spicious Says:
January 8th, 2013 at 3:00 PM
Didn’t Jalen Rose come out and essentially say that Grant Hill and other black Duke basketball players were Uncle Tom’s because they came from a two-parent household?
That was in the 30 for 30 I think. He said he thought that when he was in college he thought that.
13
sousedbergin Says:
January 8th, 2013 at 3:02 PM
Didn’t Jalen Rose come out and essentially say that Grant Hill and other black Duke basketball players were Uncle Tom’s because they came from a two-parent household? Outside of a few days of criticism, nothing happened to him.
If I remember correctly, he said that’s what the Fab Five guys thought in the 1990s. Not sure why you would punish someone for candidly reflecting in a documentary.
Jalen Rose was reflecting on his past thoughts as a present day studio gangster.
14
Caribou Says:
January 8th, 2013 at 3:03 PM
Mullet said it all.
/moving on
15
QueeferSutherland Says:
January 8th, 2013 at 3:04 PM
I was all set to give ESPN some credit here, and then I read this:
According to SBJ’s John Ourand, the decision was made before his interview.
So ESPN didn’t actually take a stand against shitty on-air talent saying moronic, baseless things. They just let his contract expire.
16
VladimirCrouton Says:
January 8th, 2013 at 3:04 PM
He still has a TV hosting gig at WDIV in Detroit. God dammit.
17
scripty Says:
January 8th, 2013 at 3:05 PM
BTW much respect to Whitlock bouncing in at the end of that interview thread.
18
scripty Says:
January 8th, 2013 at 3:07 PM
He still has a TV hosting gig at WDIV in Detroit. God dammit
He also has that barbershop, until he unwisely leverges his equity to finance a music studio.
19
Nada Says:
January 8th, 2013 at 3:07 PM
Yeah, I watched First Take this morning. Sue me
/ Knocks on door
// Serves papers
/// Runs
20
Scouser Says:
January 8th, 2013 at 3:10 PM
If I remember correctly, he said that’s what the Fab Five guys thought in the 1990s. Not sure why you would punish someone for candidly reflecting in a documentary.
No one punished Brent Pusberger for calling John Carlos and Tommie Smith ‘black thugs’ in 1968.
21
Poindexter Says:
January 8th, 2013 at 3:14 PM
So ESPN didn’t actually take a stand against shitty on-air talent saying moronic, baseless things. They just let his contract expire.
No. “Rob Parker’s contract expired at year end. Evaluating our needs and his work, including his recent RGIII comments, we decided not to renew.”
Before his second interview, where he basically said the same thing over again.
22
jim Says:
January 8th, 2013 at 3:23 PM
At least he’s got his barbershop to fall back on.
23
guinnessgirl13 Says:
January 8th, 2013 at 3:24 PM
No one punished Brent Pusberger for calling John Carlos and Tommie Smith ‘black thugs’ in 1968.
When will they finally take him off the air. He got several names wrong last night, such as “Terry” Bridgewater. His creepy comments about McCarron’s girlfriend and his blatent homerism for ND were gross.
24
MancitysShabbySheik Says:
January 8th, 2013 at 3:25 PM
Didn’t Jalen Rose come out and essentially say that Grant Hill and other black Duke basketball players were Uncle Tom’s because they came from a two-parent household? Outside of a few days of criticism, nothing happened to him.
He was asked in a 30 for 30, what at that time, he thought of Duke, and he was honest.
25
rodmansrage Says:
January 8th, 2013 at 3:26 PM
If I remember correctly, he said that’s what the Fab Five guys thought in the 1990s.
didnt cwebb come from a 2 parent household and go to private school?
26
QueeferSutherland Says:
January 8th, 2013 at 3:26 PM
No. “Rob Parker’s contract expired at year end. Evaluating our needs and his work, including his recent RGIII comments, we decided not to renew.”
I saw that. Then why mention the contract and “their needs” at all? “He was let go for his inappropriate comments about RGIII” would have sufficed.
27
MP III Says:
January 8th, 2013 at 3:27 PM
good. adios, you piece of shit.
28
sctrojans Says:
January 8th, 2013 at 3:27 PM
When will they finally take him off the air. He got several names wrong last night, such as “Terry” Bridgewater. His creepy comments about McCarron’s girlfriend and his blatent homerism for ND were gross
Oh c’mon, that’s part of the charm. But seriously, who is a better replacement?
29
sctrojans Says:
January 8th, 2013 at 3:28 PM
Jalen was just jealous Duke pursued Hill and not him b/c Hill is a much better player
30
Benjamin Franklin Rodriguez has the highest WAR evah! Says:
January 8th, 2013 at 3:36 PM
Jalen was just jealous Duke pursued Hill and not him b/c Hill is a much better player
except for the fact that Hill is a year older than the Fab 5.
31
sctrojans Says:
January 8th, 2013 at 3:38 PM
except for the fact that Hill is a year older than the Fab 5.
Though Rose did voice frustration over not being recruited by Duke IIRC
32
scripty Says:
January 8th, 2013 at 4:10 PM
didnt cwebb come from a 2 parent household and go to private school?
yes. then he was a studio gangster at UM and in the NBA. Now that he wants to be on TV he has re-discovered his intellect. C-Webb is in the studio gangster HOF.