Solomon's weak effort on Irvin's racism

[heyabbott]

George Solomon wroteMichael Irvin's comments about the ancestry of Dallas quarterback Tony Romo, made during an interview on Dan Patrick's ESPN radio show Nov. 20, carried the same racial overtones that ended the television career of the late Jimmy "The Greek" Snyder nearly 20 years ago.

In a discussion of Romo's athletic ability, Irvin, a former Cowboys wide receiver and a regular on ESPN's Sunday NFL Countdown, said the quarterback's skills would have had to come from African-American heritage. Romo is white.

Irvin told Michael McCarthy of USA Today he was "joking" when suggesting that Romo's distant grandmother "must have pulled a brother out the barn and got down to business" to produce an athlete of Romo's ability.

Irvin reflecting -- even in jest -- on Romo's family history was reminiscent of Snyder pontificating to a Washington TV news reporter about the inherited physical advantages of African-American professional football players. Minutes after that interview, Snyder was told by colleagues and friends he'd crossed the line.

He was fired by CBS the following day.

I'm not recommending a specific penalty for Irvin. That's not my role. What I would like to see, however, is ESPN take some action publicly as a result of remarks made by one of its most visible commentators. Irvin's apology on the Patrick show Monday, and ESPN's responses, don't seem sufficient.

"Anytime you generalize on racial matters, it can be damaging, dangerous and inappropriate," said Norby Williamson, ESPN's executive vice president for production. "You learn from such mistakes and move on."

Williamson said the network tried to cover the Irvin situation as a news story "as we would with any other public figure."

But the network walks a fine line regarding what it can and can't tell the public regarding internal personnel matters. In this case, however, Irvin, by his own words, has surrendered whatever confidentiality normally accorded his colleagues.

Weak & impotent.
Does everyone from the Washington Post check their balls at the gate when signing on to ESPN?(except Feinstein)

GS's opinion on ESPN's coverage of Bobby Knight was stronger on a less important atory

 

[Shaggy]

News flash: ESPN is too sensitive to allow its ombudsman to have teeth.

Yawn.

 

[slappy4428]

WHitlock rips two people, he gets fired.
Irvin rips genetics of a whole race and he keeps his job....

Amazing.

 

[Ben_Hecht]

You expected something statesmanlike?

No chance.

 

[Songbird]

Romo's g-g-g-g-grandmammy was a slave-loving ***** [/Irvin]

 

[Flying Headbutt]

ESPN to George: "Thanks, now go back to that bar you always name drop in your Sunday dreck for a little while."

 

[thebiglead]

Not understanding this:

Williamson said the network tried to cover the Irvin situation as a news story "as we would with any other public figure."

Did ESPN have this story on its rail at all this week? Did anyone see it on .com? Don't recall it being discussed on sportscenter/outside the lines/PTI/etc like 'a news story.'

 

[statrat]

Not understanding this:

Williamson said the network tried to cover the Irvin situation as a news story "as we would with any other public figure."

Did ESPN have this story on its rail at all this week? Did anyone see it on .com? Don't recall it being discussed on sportscenter/outside the lines/PTI/etc like 'a news story.'

Yeah, that's complete B.S and Solomon should have called them on it. He's better than that. ESPN seems to have done everything short of hiring a hit a crew to take out anyone else who talked about the story in order to bury this thing.

 

[jason_whitlock]

for solomon that was pretty strong. seriously. i expected to see solomon pull a mccarthy or ignore it all together...

 

[Ralph Waldo Henderson]

for solomon that was pretty strong. seriously. i expected to see solomon pull a mccarthy or ignore it all together...

I was actually thinking the same thing. George saying ESPN's response was "not sufficient" qualified as a Whitlock-esque beatdown.

 

[Ben_Hecht]

McCarthy in today's McPaper re Monday Night Football was another blowjob. He's clearly trolling
for a position.

 

[thebiglead]

McCarthy in today's McPaper re Monday Night Football was another blowjob. He's clearly trolling
for a position.

That's funny. Thanks for pointing it out.

 

[tommyp]

I'm just curious to know what Irvin has on ESPN execs. Obviosuly, something Whitlock or Harold Reynolds doesn't.

 

[Ace]

for solomon that was pretty strong. seriously. i expected to see solomon pull a mccarthy or ignore it all together...

I was actually thinking the same thing. George saying ESPN's response was "not sufficient" qualified as a Whitlock-esque beatdown.

I agree.