On last Thursday's "The First Take" on ESPN, Rob Parker made the following comments live on the air "Rob Parker, a former Detroit News columnist, questioned the blackness of Washington Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin III and claimed he wasn't authentic. "Is he a brother, or is he a cornball brother," Parker asked.
Parker then went on with his racist rampage, "I keep hearing these things. We all know he has a white fiancée. There was all this talk about he's a Republican."
Well lets look into Mr. Rob Parker's Past. We will see a series of poor behavior and deceitful actions ranging from racist to homophobic remarks. In addition we will see how Rob Parker slams Republicans but crosses picket lines and doesn't join Unions but still has them work on his behalf.
Detroit News sports columnist Rob Parker has resigned from the newspaper, was the reported story back in January of 2009, however, Parker had been demoted to general assignment sports reporter, the Newspaper Guild disclosed, in the fallout from a news conference question to the coach of the Detroit Lions NFL team that drew criticism from management, readers and other sports journalists. 
"He doesn't work here any more," Managing Editor Donald Nauss said. He said Parker resigned. Asked whether this followed a suspension of his column, Nauss said, "I can't talk about personnel matters."
Parker, who had been at the paper for eight years, could not be reached for comment and has not responded to previous requests.
[On ESPN Radio's "Mike and Mike" show on Wednesday January 7th 2009, Parker said, "I asked the people for a buyout and they granted me one.
["The newspaper is changing," and "this situation came along and I just thought it was time for me to leave because I just thought we were not on the same page as far as reporting and how to get a story," he said.]
Lou Mleczko, president of the Newspaper Guild of Detroit, said grievances filed on Parker's behalf might remain in place. "We've got some policy issues," he told Journal-isms.
At a postgame news conference on Dec. 21, Parker asked Lions coach Rod Marinelli whether he wished his daughter had married "a better defensive coordinator."
Fox television showed the question, prompting analyst Terry Bradshaw to say: "You know, Rob, you're an idiot. You're just a flat idiot." Others chimed in.
Parker defended himself in a column that Monday, saying, "What might have seemed like a personal attack wasn't. . . . I respect what Marinelli is trying to accomplish as Lions coach, and he respects what I do as a sports columnist - ask questions, tough ones, to get at the root of his team's woes."
But Marinelli said the next day, "Anytime you attack my daughter, I've got a problem with that . . ." and, asked whether the question crossed the line, replied, "big time."
The Lions fired Marinelli on Dec. 28, a day after the team became the first in NFL history to finish with a record of 0-16.
But Parker's troubles remained. The column of apology was the last one Parker would write for the paper. Nauss said in a News story that Parker's question was inappropriate and unprofessional.
"The News is taking this matter seriously and will deal with it promptly in an appropriate manner," Nauss said.
It wasn't the first time Parker had been in hot water.
Less than two months before that, Parker apologized for implicating Michigan State University backup quarterback Kirk Cousins in an off-campus assault. Parker made the statement in October on WDIV-TV's "Clubhouse Confidential."
Mleczkc said Parker was suspended without pay for "several days" and then demoted to sports general assignment reporter for "several weeks." The Guild filed a grievance on Parker's behalf on Nov. 24, saying Parker made the comments as a freelancer, not as a News employee.
Back in 1991, Parker was brought up on charges by the Newspaper Guild for crossing picket lines during a bitter strike at the New York Daily News. The charges were later dropped and Parker moved on to the Cincinnati Enquirer.
Even though Parker never joined the Guild, the Detroit union just on Monday filed another grievance on Parker's behalf. It said the penalty for his question to the coach was disproportionate, and challenged the News' assertion that Parker's behavior was unprofessional and harmed the newspaper's reputation nationally, Mleczko said.
"We have a legal as well as ethical responsibility to people who are in our jurisdiction to represent them" even if they do not join the Guild, the union president said.
Parker started at Newsday in 1995, one month after he had been suspended for a day for making a joke on a radio program he co-hosted on WDFN-AM, a Detroit all-sports station. He jokingly said in a discussion of cats, "everyone needs a little pussy."
According to Wikipedia, "The African-American Parker is not shy to discuss the racial aspects of current sports events, such as the NBA off-court dress policy, or the lack of African-Americans in NFL coaching positions. He penned a much-debated column where he called Hank Aaron a 'coward' for declining to attend when Barry Bonds would break the career Major League home run record."
Last year, Parker declared on ESPN's "First Take" that he had low expectations for college players Tyler Hansbrough and Kevin Love in the NBA, because they are white.
No comments:
Post a Comment