| Rob Parker | |
|---|---|
| Born | January 18, 1964 Jamaica, Queens, New York, U.S. |
| Occupation | Sports columnist, TV sports anchor |
| Years active | 1986(?)-present |
| Spouse | ?-? (divorced) |
| Children | ? |
Rob Parker (born January 18, 1964) is an American sports columnist for ESPNNewYork.com and ClickOnDetroit.com. Parker is also a regular on ESPN's First Take, where he debates Skip Bayless on the 1st and 10 segment. Rob Parker is a regular on WDIV Local 4 Sports Final Edition.
Parker attended Southern Connecticut State University and Columbia University for graduate studies in journalism. Before becoming the second black sports columnist at The Detroit News after Terry Foster in 1993, Parker was a reporter for The Times Leader in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, The Daily News in New York and The Cincinnati Enquirer. He was also the first black sports columnist at Newsday in New York in 1995.
Parker, who is divorced, is a member of the NABJ, the Detroit Sports Broadcasters Association.
On March 28, 2008, Parker declared on ESPN's First Take that he had low expectations for college players Tyler Hansbrough and Kevin Love in the NBA, because they are white.[1]
Parker, who is African American, is not shy to discuss the racial aspects of current sports events, such as the NBA off-court dress policy, or the lack of African Americans in NFL coaching positions. He penned a much-maligned column where he called Hank Aaron a "coward" for declining to attend when Barry Bonds would break the career home run record.
In October 2008, Parker erroneously reported that Kirk Cousins, a quarterback for the Michigan State Spartans, was involved in a fight with members of the Michigan State hockey team. At the time of the fight, Cousins was at church with his parents. After being publicly reproved by head coach Mark Dantonio at his weekly news conference, Parker was suspended by The Detroit News for two weeks.[2]
On December 21, 2008, at a press conference following the Lions' 42-7 loss to the New Orleans Saints, Parker addressed a question Lions head coach Rod Marinelli about Lions defensive coordinator Joe Barry, Marinelli's son-in-law, inquiring whether Marinelli wished that his daughter had "married a better defensive coordinator."[3] The question was criticized as unprofessional and inappropriate. The next day, Parker wrote that the comment was "an attempt at humor" and not a malicious attack.[4] Parker wrote no further columns forThe Detroit News, nor did he attend any press conferences, following the incident. On January 6, 2009, The Detroit News announced that Parker had resigned from the newspaper the previous week.[5]