ESPN is under fire after the network yanked an announcer from calling an upcoming college football game because of his name.
ESPN announcer Robert Lee, who is Asian-American, was supposed to announce the University of Virginia's first football game next week. After a recent protest over the removal of a statue of Robert E. Lee left a woman dead in Charlottesville, ESPN said "We collectively made the decision with Robert to switch games...simply because of the coincidence of his name."
The network has been facing growing criticism for the call from politicians and viewers. ESPN’s president, John Skipper, explained further in a statement posted on the company’s internal website:
“There was never any concern — by anyone, at any level — that Robert Lee’s name would offend anyone watching the Charlottesville game,” the statement read. “Among our Charlotte production staff there was a question as to whether — in these divisive times — Robert’s assignment might create a distraction, or even worse, expose him to social hectoring and trolling.”
Skipper added that Lee was offered the chance to broadcast a different game on the same day and opted for that instead.