Commentator Rob Parker has been suspended by ESPN for comments made about Robert Griffin III. (Photo: ESPN) 
 
 ESPN commentator Rob Parker has been suspended indefinitely as a result of disparaging racial comments he made about Washington Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin III on Thursday. 
 
 "Following yesterday's comments Rob Parker has been suspended until further notice. We are conducting a full review," ESPN spokesman Mike Soltys said. 
 
 OUTLOOK: RGIII comments miss the point again 
 
 DAD KNOWS BEST: Griffin II responds to comments on son 
 
 Parker said of Griffin on ESPN2's First Take: "Is he a brother, or is he a cornball brother? ... He's not real. OK, he's black, he kind of does the thing, but he's not really down with the cause. He's not one of us. He's kind of black, but he's not really, like, the guy you want to hang out with because he's off to something else." 
 
 Robert Griffin II, Griffin's father, told USA TODAY Sports on Thursday, "I wouldn't say it's racism. I would just say some people put things out there about people so they can stir things up." 
 
 Parker, 48, has worked as a reporter and columnist for newspapers such as Newsday, the Detroit News and the Cincinnati Enquirer. According to his web site, he started at ESPN in 2003. 
 
 Parker gained notoriety in 2008 when, while he was a Detroit News columnist, he asked then-Lions coach Rod Marinelli about his daughter being married to the team's defensive coordinator. Parker asked Marinelli, whose team eventually finished the season winless, "Do you wish your daughter would have married a better defensive coordinator?" 
 
 Parker later resigned from the paper and apologized to Marinelli, who said he didn't accept the apology. 
 
 Best of Robert Griffin III in photos: ||||| ESPN's Rob Parker on RGIII: 'Is he a brother or is he a cornball brother?' 
 
 Rob Parker of ESPN's 'First Take' (Photo: ESPN) 
 
 You know a conversation has gone off the rails when Stephen A. Smith becomes the voice of reason. 
 
 That was the situation on Thursday's episode of First Take, the ESPN troll-fest most famous for serving as the ongoing Tim Tebow conversation the world never asked for. 
 
 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. 
 
 RGIII: Griffin refuses to be defined by race 
 
 "I keep hearing these things. We all know he has a white fiancée. There was all this talk about he's a Republican." 
 
 The bombastic Smith had to put an end to it. 
 
 "I'm uncomfortable with where we just went," he said. "RGIII, the ethnicity or the color of his fiancée is none of our business, it's irrelevant, he can live his life in whatever way he chooses. The braids that he has in his hair, that's his business, that's his life, he can live his life." 
 
 ESPN spokesman Mike Soltys said Thursday evening that "the comments were inappropriate and we are evaluating our next steps." 
 
 A transcript of the discussion is below: 
 
 Rob Parker: "But my question, which is just a straight, honest question, is: Is he a brother or is he a cornball brother?" 
 
 Cari Champion: "What does that mean?" 
 
 Skip Bayless: "Explain that." 
 
 Parker: "He's not real. OK, he's black, he kind of does the thing, but he's not really down with the cause. He's not one of us. He's kind of black but he's not really, like, the guy you want to hang out with because he's off to something else. 
 
 Champion: "Why is that your question?" 
 
 Parker: "Well because that's just how I want to find out about him. I don't know because I keep hearing these things. We all know he has a white fiancée. There was all this talk about how he's a Republican, which, I don't really care, there's no information at all. I'm just trying to dig deeper into why he has an issue. Because we did find out with Tiger Woods. Tiger Woods was like, I've got black skin but don't call me black." 
 
 Robert Littal of BlackSportsOnline.com ripped Parker for the comments and added the most important point of all: 
 
 If being a cornball is being engaged to someone you love, not speaking like [rapper] Trinidad James, not getting in trouble and playing the QB position at a very high level, I wish more NFL players would be cornballs. 
 
 Parker also has history with RGIII's backup. In 2008, he reported that Kirk Cousins, then the quarterback for Michigan State, had been involved in a fight with members of the school's hockey team. It was later discovered that Cousins was at church with his parents when the fight occurred. 
 
 The Detroit News suspended Parker for two weeks after the incident. 
 
 Washington Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin III walks off the field after overtime Sunday's overtime win against Baltimore. (Photo: Nick Wass, AP) 
 
 Back to RGIII. I live in D.C. and have been caught up in the whirlwind as much as anyone. I have a twice-daily Google Alert for RGIII's name. I've been tuning into local sports radio for the first time in years. I've watched the replay of Sunday's game five times. I've been nudging my wife to get me his jersey for Christmas. I was only half-kidding when I told my sister she should name her newborn Robert, "Griffin" or "the third." Through all of that, I can't remember the last time I heard someone talk about RGIII's race. 
 
 That's not one of those holier-than-thou "I don't see people's color" statements. It's merely a point of fact. Other than hearing Michael Wilbon mention it on PTI and seeing a Washington Post article about RGIII's role in the black community, I don't hear the topic come up. It's discussed in terms of impact, but it's not considered as important as it would have been 20 years ago. It hasn't been a talking point. Isn't that the way it's supposed to be? 
 
 Apparently the RGIII race card has been played before. By Skip Bayless. On ESPN's First Take. 
 
 You do the math. 
 
 Read or Share this story: http://usat.ly/RrAcvN ||||| Robert Griffin III strives to be the best quarterback in football. 
 
 Period. 
 
 He does not strive to be the best black quarterback in football. 
 
 It’s a perfectly reasonable and normal goal to have. 
 
 Just as a sportswriter presumably would want to be known as a respected journalist or writer or columnist — not solely a respected black journalist. 
 
 ESPN’s ‘First Take’ program features a daily dose of sports topics debated and discussed exhaustively by hosts. Sometimes, the result is entertaining and other times — well, it’s downright painful. 
 
 Thursday, Rob Parker’s comments were downright painful to hear. 
 
 On the subject of the Redskins star rookie quarterback ‘not wanting’ to be solely defined by race, Parker said: 
 
 “But my question, which is just a straight honest question. Is he a brother, or is he a cornball brother?” 
 
 He painfully continues: 
 
 “Well, [that] he’s black, he kind of does his thing, but he’s not really down with the cause, he’s not one of us.” “He’s kind of black, but he’s not really the guy you’d really want to hang out with, because he’s off to do something else.” 
 
 Parker wasn’t in the barbershop (as he referenced towards the end of his comments) — he was on national television. His comments weren’t painful because of the subject matter — race should be discussed and mentioned as it relates to sports when appropriate. The comments were painful because they were delivered irresponsibly. 
 
 When you talk about race without context — when you just merely mention things like: “We all know [Griffin] has a white fianceé” or he may be “Republican” – – you don’t advance any type of dialogue, you hinder it. 
 
 And that’s irresponsible. 
 
 Griffin hasn’t denied he’s black. He hasn’t denied his impact on DC’s black Redskins fans. When asked, he’s answered those questions candidly and responsibly. 
 
 Washington Post sports blogger Dan Steinberg points to Griffin’s remarks on race from last week: 
 
 “But to the fans, and to the fans who think that way and look at me as an African-American [quarterback], it’s important that I succeed, not only for this team, but for them,” he continued. “Because it gives them that motivation, that hey, you know, an African-American went out and played quarterback for my Washington Redskins. So I appreciate that; I don’t ever downplay anything like that. Whoever I can go out every week to do better and to try to go after their dreams, I’m up for that.” 
 
 When commentators like Parker ‘go there’ — talk about race irresponsibly — the impact is not just an unfair slight to RGIII. It leads to more of the same criticisms when media members ‘attempt’ to discuss race. Instead of thoughtful conversation, irresponsible commentary leads to rebuke (as it should) and a score of “Commentator questions RGIII’s blackness” type headlines.
– ESPN has indefinitely suspended commentator Rob Parker after his controversial "cornball brother" remarks about Washington Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin III yesterday, the network announced in a brief statement today. "Following yesterday's comments, Rob Parker has been suspended until further notice. We are conducting a full review," the network said, according to USA Today. Parker's comments, in which he said that Griffin was only "kind of black," set off a firestorm. The head of the NFL Players Association slammed Parker, telling the Washington Post that players should "never beg for authenticity from someone who can only talk about the things that other people have the courage to do." RGIII's father (who, yes, is named Robert Griffin II), chimed in as well, saying, "I wouldn't say it's racism. I would just say some people put things out there about people so they can stir things up." But Parker remained defiant on Twitter for much of yesterday, calling critical responses "uneducated" and "silly," NBC Sports reports.