A Palestinian Unwrapped a US Aid Package. It Didn't Go Well.
Netanyahu to Biden: I'm Taking Rafah, Destroying Hamas, And You Can’t Do Anything...
Nation’s Largest Corporate Mega-Stores Lobbying for Billions, Small Businesses & Consumers...
A Truth and Reality ‘Bloodbath’
CAIR Says Biden Will Lose, 'Allah Willing'
Israel As 'A Pariah' Among the Nations
Trump Romps Among Battleground Catholics
Biden's Speech Was Not the Win the Political Class Thought It Was
The Smell of Mendacity
'Bloodbath' and Pure Evil
Pathway to Victory
The Cautionary Legal Tale of Roundup
FDNY Won't Investigate Those Who Booed Letitia James, But Don't Expect Love for...
Joe Biden Is Back to Pretending His Granddaughter Doesn't Exist
Bob Good, Chip Roy Lead Letter Insisting Spending Bills Secure the Border
Tipsheet

Dem Rep Jackson Lee Calls Asian Announcer Robert Lee's Removal from Game Discrimination

Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX) tweeted Wednesday that she was “greatly disappointed” in ESPN’s removal of Asian American commentator Robert Lee from a Charlottesville game due to concerns over the similarity of his name to Confederate General Robert E. Lee. “Why discriminate against him?” Rep. Lee asked. “Let him stay.”

Advertisement

The issue may have hit close to home for Rep. Lee, who also has the same last name as the Confederate general.

Rep. Lee, a member of the Congressional Black Caucus, is no stranger to ESPN's concerns, having addressed race issues herself following the Charlottesville rally. Rep. Lee spoke out prominently against racism in the aftermath of the violence, accusing the president of normalizing neo-Nazis and the KKK. She has advocated in the past for restricting the display of the Confederate flag on federal land.

ESPN’s decision to remove the sports announcer from this weekend's University of Virginia vs. William & Mary football game broke Tuesday and the sports network has faced ridicule for the decision from both sides of the aisle.

Advertisement

“We collectively made the decision with Robert to switch games as the tragic events in Charlottesville were unfolding, simply because of the coincidence of his name. In that moment it felt right to all parties. It’s a shame that this is even a topic of conversation and we regret that who calls play by play for a football game has become an issue," ESPN said in an initial statement.

An ESPN executive also tried to explain the decision further in an email.

The controversy that arose over the decision also revealed that Reuters does not know what the words “namesake” or “doppelganger” mean.

Join the conversation as a VIP Member

Recommended

Trending on Townhall Videos

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement