ESPN pundit Rob Parker labeled rookie Washington Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin III a "Cornball Brother," on the sports network's "First Take".
Parker questioned Griffin's blackness in a recent airing of the show. Parker's query stems from a question aimed at Griffin in a press conference this week about being an African-American player in the NFL.
The quarterback respond by saying he didn't want to be "defined" by his race and said that some fans and sports writers tend to "put you in a box with other African-American quarterbacks."
Parker posed a query to those at the ESPN debate table which caused confusion. "My question, which is just a straight honest question: is he a brother, or is he a cornball brother?"
When met with a stunned reaction from his fellow panel, Parker attempted to clarify his question.
"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 said. "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."
The sports broadcaster tried to drive home his point by mentioning the racial issues that surrounds top golfer Tiger Woods.
"I want to find about him. I don't know because I keep hearing these things. We all know he has a white fiancee. Then there was all this talk about he's a Republican, which there's no information at all. I'm just trying to dig deeper into 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 wondered about Tiger Woods," said Parker.
Griffin's father responded to Parker's comments and wants an explanation and a more clear definition of what the pundit was saying.
"He needs to define what 'one of us' is. That guy needs to define that," Robert Griffin II told USA Today. "I wouldn't say it's racism. I would just say some people put things out there about people so they can stir things up.
"Robert is in really good shape on who he is, where he needs to get to in order to seek the goals he has in life ... so I don't take offense," RG2 added.
According CBS News a spokesman for ESPN that Parker's comments "were inappropriate and we are evaluating our next steps."
Rob Parker on RG III
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