Sports columnist and commentator Rob Parker is officially out at ESPN, according to the network’s public relations department. Mike Soltys, who serves as ESPN’s vice-president, U.S. network communications, said via Twitter the network decided not to renew Parker’s contract.
ESPN suspended Parker last month after he referred to Redskins rookie quarterback Robert Griffin III as a “cornball brother.”
Sunday, Rob Parker insisted his comments about RGIII were taken out of context.
He told Detroit’s WDIV-TV he wasn’t trying to question RGIII’s ‘blackness.’ Instead, Parker said he was referring to conversations that are “had” in the black community when a black athlete distances himself from ‘blackness.’
Tuesday, Parker’s run with ESPN came to an official end:
Rob Parker’s contract expired at year end. Evaluating our needs and his work, including his recent RGIII comments, we decided not to renew.
— Mike Soltys (@MichaelJSoltys) January 8, 2013
The network also posted the tweet in a statement on its website.
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