:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/4966659/20121210_kkt_sb4_382.0.jpg)
ESPN contributor and Saturday First Take host Rob Parker stirred up controversy with racially-charged remarks about Washington Redskins quarterback RGIII on Thursday afternoon. The network issued a response to Parker's comments hours later.
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
Parker said "is he a brother or is he a cornball brother," among other things. Asked on the air about his "cornball brother" comment, Parker responded:
"He's not really ... OK, he's black, he kinda does the thing, but he's not really down with the cause, he's not one of us. He's kinda black, but he's not really, like, the guy you really wanna hang out with because he's off to something else."
The Detroit News suspended Parker for two weeks in 2008 after an erroneous report claiming then-Michigan State quarterback Kirk Cousins was involved in a fight that sent another student to the hospital. He resigned as a columnist with the paper following an interview where he asked then-Lions head coach Rod Marinelli an inappropriate question about his daughter.