Etan Thomas presses Rob Parker to address his infamous Robert Griffin III “cornball brother” label amid Angel Reese drama

Former ESPN analyst Rob Parker’s comments about Robert Griffin III in 2012 resurfaced following the erstwhile NFL quarterback’s claims about Angel Reese. Griffin received a ton of flak after claiming that the Chicago Sky star hated her rival Caitlin Clark.

A clip of Parker calling Griffin a “cornball brother” went viral again.

On Monday, former NBA player Etan Thomas pressed Parker about the reason behind his controversial comments.

"What was it that you saw in RG3 that made you call him a cornball brother many years ago?" Thomas asked Parker on Sunday's episode of 'The Rematch.' "Because you saw something before everybody else saw it. He had just come on the scene, he had the fathead, he had the jersey. Then you called him a cornball brother and everybody got offended. Nobody really knew the context behind it."

Parker responded:

“I think the conversation was someone saying that [Griffin] could be one of the greatest Black quarterbacks, and I think he was offended that “Black” was in front of quarterback. … Nobody says Michael Jordan is the greatest Black basketball player. They believe he’s just the greatest player.

"I’m not offended by that. If you would have told me I’m the greatest Black sportswriter who ever lived, I would have embraced it!”

During a news conference in 2012, Robert Griffin III said he wouldn’t want to be “put in a box” as a quarterback. The then-Washington Redskins star said he did not want to be defined by the color of his skin but by his work ethic, character and personality.

Parker responded to Griffin's comments on an episode of ESPN2's "First Take" later that week. He called him a "cornball brother" and questioned his engagement to his "white fiancée."

A week later, Parker apologized, noting that he “blew it.” He added that he contacted RGIII’s agent to apologize and vowed to handle sensitive issues in a “more thoughtful manner.”

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Rob Parker was handed a 30-day suspension and non-renewal of contract following Robert Griffin III comments

Following his “cornball brother” comment about Robert Griffin, Rob Parker was suspended by ESPN for 30 days. Parker’s contract with ESPN expired roughly two weeks after his suspension ended. After much criticism, Mike Soltys, who handled PR for the network, tweeted:

“Rob Parker’s contract expired at year end. Evaluating our needs and his work, including his recent RGIII comments, we decided not to renew.”

Parker never returned to ESPN after the dismissal. Robert Griffin III worked for the network in 2021 as an NFL analyst before he was replaced three years later by Jason Kelce.

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