Bob Griese Suspended For Racist Remark On Air (VIDEO)

(AP) ESPN broadcaster Bob Griese has been suspended one week for a remark he made about NASCAR driver Juan Pablo Montoya.

ESPN spokesman Josh Krulewitz says Griese will not be working a game this week.

Krulewitz says ESPN has spoken to Griese and "he understands the comment was inappropriate."

During ESPN's broadcast of the Minnesota-Ohio State game Saturday, a graphic was shown listing the top five drivers in NASCAR's points race. Fellow analyst Chris Spielman asked where was Montoya, who is Colombian.

Griese replied he was "out having a taco."

He has twice apologized on air for the remark.

Montoya is declining to comment on Griese's suspension. He brushed off the remark Sunday, and said he'd never heard of Griese.

WATCH:

Comments

[dancucich]

12:25 AM on 11/02/2009

"A white male can no more understand or describe racism than a male can feel pregnancy. Just the bottomline­."

----------­----------­----------­----------­----------­----------
Of course that's not a racist stereotype­...
esp coming from those who think being mistaken
for Mexican" is humilating­.

[Syncoptic1]

12:04 PM on 11/03/2009

Fanned.

[ApolloniusofTyana]

06:32 AM on 10/31/2009

Griese can think about it when he's at home for a week watching TV and eating Wonder Bread toast.

[GravitonX]

02:10 AM on 10/31/2009

I've found that the anti-PC movement is pretty much a bunch of white guys itching to say the n-word, among other insults to various minorities­.

[GravitonX]

02:03 AM on 10/31/2009

Good call. Suspend the loser. This time one week. The next time much longer if not forever.

[Philclock]

01:53 AM on 10/31/2009

Everybody'­s Irish, Mohamed Ali, Obama, everybody!

Problem solved.

http://www­.youtube.c­om/watch?v­=EADUQWKoV­ek

http://spo­rts.espn.g­o.com/spor­ts/boxing/­news/story­?id=443753­9

[Poorsarah]

12:23 AM on 10/31/2009

Maybe not illegal; but what about immoral or unethical? Treat others as we would want to be treated.

[MossyOak]

11:00 PM on 10/30/2009

This reminds me of the time Howard Cosell, acerbic sports announcer, said on air, "The city of Denver is like a bowl of granola. Once you get rid of the fruits and nuts, all you have left is the flakes." That was pretty much the end of his career.

[Niris]

07:06 PM on 10/30/2009

I don't feel Mr. Griese's was racist at all. Just a silly comment.

[Syncoptic1]

06:15 PM on 10/30/2009

All of this, over a joke made in bad taste? Wake me up when that's illegal.

[fredisfred]

11:41 AM on 11/02/2009

Who said it was illegal?

There's a difference between breaking the law and violating the terms of your contract. Sheesh.

[Syncoptic1]

01:42 PM on 11/02/2009

Then by all means, please explain to us the language of his contract that pertains to this situation (since you seem to know it so well), and why this is not an overreacti­on to a completely subjective matter.

[voteblue4evr]

02:39 PM on 10/30/2009

That was not offensive at all. It's on the same level as saying "Where's (name of a driver from the south)?" "Probably eating grits"....

Honestly, you people who think it was racist need to get a grip.

[GravitonX]

02:12 AM on 10/31/2009

A white male can no more understand or describe racism than a male can feel pregnancy. Just the bottomline­.

[Syncoptic1]

01:48 PM on 11/02/2009

Don't be ridiculous­. There are plenty of people who hate white people just as much as we could hate anyone else. I've been harassed based on the color of my skin before. It's no fun. Everything is a two way street, friend...

[dartagnan]

02:14 PM on 10/30/2009

Ridiculous­. People of Hispanic background eat tacos. So do white people, black people, Asian people and Native Americans.

If the driver had an Italian name and Griese had said he went out for a pizza, would we have seen all this outrage over "racism"?

[miller36]

05:47 PM on 10/30/2009

I agree with you that's not racist.

[sloppybear16]

06:09 AM on 10/30/2009

maybe he's a ladies man and he was referring to eating a woman's "taco".

[MilesLawrence]

03:54 PM on 10/30/2009

Maybe Griese was a little insensitiv­e. Would it have been all right if He had said hotdog instead of taco?

[KIVPossum]

04:32 AM on 10/30/2009

Have the PC police taken over the country?

[Niris]

07:07 PM on 10/30/2009

My point exactly. We are becoming a police state! It's getting out of control.

[whomod]

03:16 AM on 10/30/2009

Yeah, it's insensitiv­e. Racist? Perhaps. If you feel comfortabl­e enough being racially insensitiv­e on the air, it wouldn't be a stretch to find out you're a racist. the jury's still out.

Maybe next time we might catch him calling a Hispanic, "amigo" or something. that in itself also wouldn't qualify him as "racist" but it'd sure be another big clue.

[therealabsurdist]

02:21 AM on 10/31/2009

Oh please. You ARE kidding, right?

I refer to EVERYONE as amigo. does that somehow make me racist in your eyes? If so, I suggest you grow a skin.

[opprobrious]

02:35 AM on 10/30/2009

Out having a taco? That's it? Racism? No. Lame. Yes. A pathetic attempt at humor, actually. Don't be telling anymore jokes, Bob. BTW, what the heckfire is an ex-footbal­l player doing NASCAR anyway? They couldn't get any retired race car drivers?

[HadBetterDays]

03:21 AM on 10/30/2009

You didn't read the article, Bob was covering the Minn-Ohio State football game and yes what he said was racist. Hispanics have been slurred with remarks like beaner and taco head amnong others for a long time. Griese just forgot that he wasn't talking with some of his all white buddies at the golf club that's all. I also suspect that he's resentful that his era has come to an end. He played during a time when only whites were thought to be intelligen­t enough to play quarterbac­k or head coaches.