UPDATE: Griese apologized about the comment just before the Minnesota-Ohio State ABC telecast wrapped. Still deserves a reprimand in my opinion.
Chris Mottram at SBNation.com has this exchange between Bob Griese and Chris Spielman today on the Minnesota-Ohio State ABC telecast:
Chris called it “subtle racism.” I’m more on the side of blatant. Griese should be reprimanded, or at the very least reminded that what he said was inappropriate.
CollegeFootballTalk.com weighs in as well. As does the Twitterati.
And Wikipedia already has this:
On October 24, 2009, while providing color commentary for the University of Minnesota at Ohio State University football game, Griese caused a stir while making an off topic comment about NASCAR standings implying that Colombian driver Juan Pablo Montoya was not in the top 5 because he was “out having a taco.” At this time, any reprimands for Griese’s racially charged statement are unknown.
That was fast.
2:01 pm on October 24th, 2009
oh no politically correct police react!!!!!!!
2:05 pm on October 24th, 2009
I agree this was a disgusting comment and offensive to the Spanish community. My wife and I watched it live….rewound it an listened to it a few more times…its about as worse a comment that could be made. We were joking that an apology will be coming up before the game is over…insensitive idiot.
2:05 pm on October 24th, 2009
Lighten up, Frances!
2:14 pm on October 24th, 2009
BFD
2:47 pm on October 24th, 2009
yawn
3:13 pm on October 24th, 2009
Hard to get too excited about this one.
3:43 pm on October 24th, 2009
RIZZMIGGIZZ,
You really think that’s cool to say to about a Latino on a nationally televised broadcast?
I grant you that many of us, when amongst friends in a private setting say a lot worse things. But we’re not on national television.
This isn’t your backyard. It’s wrong, and ABC needs to give Griese a public slap for it.
3:44 pm on October 24th, 2009
Call it ’subtle racism’ or call it ‘the writer is being a complete ninny about nothing at all’
Where’s the insult here anyway? He joked about having a taco. Who cares? If it was a british player and the joke was that he was out having his tea and crumpets, is that racism? The same controversy came up about tiger and the chicken/watermelon joke by Fuzzy. Where’s the insult? Blacks are known for liking chicken, mexicans;tacos, british;tea. What’s so insulting about all of this. Joke about a korean eating kimchi. So what? They eat kimchi. Who cares? People bust my chops at work all the time because I’m addicted to green tea. Are they racist too? F*** off with your self congratulating sensitivity.
3:45 pm on October 24th, 2009
the comment is racist because he is racsist
3:47 pm on October 24th, 2009
Latinos eat tacos Brooks. Explain why that’s an insult.
What’s so f***ing insulting here?
It’s only insulting because people like you are constantly raising the stakes racially instead of forgetting about it. Griese doesn’t need a slap. You need to stop slapping yourself on the back for what a great guy you think you are.
WHERE’S THE INSULT?
3:55 pm on October 24th, 2009
What if the question was about Tiger Woods and Griese responded with “he’s out eating a watermelon.” Would we be discussing whether or not this was insulting? No. We’d be discussing whether or not Griese would ever work another game.
4:02 pm on October 24th, 2009
Or lighten up and quit raising the stakes as if all of this racial stuff matters. If tiger kids a brit about eating crumpets does the world stop on a dime and gasp? Of course not.
4:03 pm on October 24th, 2009
Hey, it could have been worse. He could have said Montoya was swimming across me.
4:07 pm on October 24th, 2009
What it is, is an indication of his stereotypical world view and his ignorance
4:25 pm on October 24th, 2009
Dan’s just mad Rush Limbaugh wasn’t allowed to buy the Rams.
6:48 pm on October 24th, 2009
They should fire him…everyone knows that latinos dont like taco’s! How dare he make such a crude statement! My kids were in the room when he said that for Gods sakes! Now they Taco Bell tonight! Thanks a lot a$$*@#l!!!
8:53 pm on October 24th, 2009
This only exemplifies ESPNs racism against Latinos. Especially if he hasn’t been fired already…
9:06 pm on October 24th, 2009
OMG! How insensitive! Everyone KNOWS Latinos hate tacos and prefer Big Macs, like everyone else here in America! (We all have to aspire to excessive weight gain of some telecasters and that is the best way to do it!)
I don’t really care about Montoya or what he eats, regardless.
9:14 pm on October 24th, 2009
Anyone offended by this SHOULD be offended. I’m Irish, and if someone were to say - “he’s out having stew” or something like that would just be funny. And THIS was funny. I’m sure Griese has gone through 40+ years of being in and involved with sports - the most racially diverse groups of people, and is a racist. It’s just stupid, and all of you jackasses who took offense need to get some balls, if your race has any.
9:15 pm on October 24th, 2009
Don’t be surprised at anything white folks say about other races. They are fading away; slow but sure.
9:25 pm on October 24th, 2009
I can’t beleive how many of you don’t think that is racist! You obviously aren’t latino and cant understand how a statement like that hurts
10:01 pm on October 24th, 2009
See now we’re touching on the biggest issue facing the US. Political Correctness, long and short it’s BS, and shouldn’t be encouraged. All of you saying “It’s Politically Incorrect he should be punished!” guess what your frickin sheep. Religion, Government, the Media are all the same it’s not about taking care of anyone anymore. It’s all about power and control. You are following where they lead no matter if you see it or not, blind to what’s around you and lacking in good old fashioned common sense. Just remember what they do to sheep…they fleece them for all they are worth then send them off to slaughter.
Mr. Griese there is from a different generation, one with different ideals one that when he was young never worried about being “PC”, take it with a grain of salt his life experiences are not your own. Grow a thicker skin and get over it. Bashing someone for not understanding or having sympathy for your culture solves nothing but further stir the pot of racism and bigotry you are you own worst enemy because you were taught to blindly follow people who say you should be that way.
10:05 pm on October 24th, 2009
“Don’t be surprised at anything white folks say about other races. They are fading away; slow but sure.”
Wow. You can turn in your license to criticize.
10:37 pm on October 24th, 2009
People need to stop being such thin-skinned over sensitive whining CRYBABIES! TAKE A FRIGGIN JOKE!!
11:30 pm on October 24th, 2009
White people should know by now…..we can say NOTHING about ANYTHING without being called a racist. Blacks, Latinos, Asians….have at it. White people? Nope. PC Police SWAT team is monitoring every word.
1:01 am on October 25th, 2009
Griese should go back to having extra-marital affairs with his sister and losing his teeth.
Or is that bigoted?
Oops.
2:07 am on October 25th, 2009
You’d think by now you’d realize most of teh commenters around here are abunch of rightwing racist Fox News mouthbreathers.Of course,they don’t think it’s an insult.
2:23 am on October 25th, 2009
Get a life, if thats the worst you hear you’re a lucky man.
3:28 am on October 25th, 2009
Wigger , please
4:24 am on October 25th, 2009
I dig tacos!!! And JBM surely has had a few even though he’s not Mexican.
4:27 am on October 25th, 2009
Right wingers rule, Tool MeHere. Eat a taco and get over this. Remember Archie Bunker??? He said a lot worse not in jest on a tv show that was scripted. I bet JBM was out eating pink dog tacos at Martinsville.
4:35 am on October 25th, 2009
come join me and all my gay friends on Fark dot com
6:57 am on October 25th, 2009
No it’s a reference to his weight. If all the other NASCAR drivers weren’t so fat also, it would be obvious.
9:23 am on October 25th, 2009
“You’d think by now you’d realize most of teh commenters around here are abunch of rightwing racist Fox News mouthbreathers.”
Wow, what a hypocrite. Discriminating based on political beliefs isn’t any different than discriminated based on skin color. But if you were really as “sensitive” as you think you are, you’d know that.
10:07 am on October 25th, 2009
Hey, when are we going to quit looking for reasons to feel sorry for ourselves, grow up. Oh no someone said something mean about me. Quit crying already, and get over it you bunch of babies.
10:42 am on October 25th, 2009
Brooks is still - pathetically - trying to get in the good graces of ESPN and land a job. This is the biggest non-story ever. If Bob does get fired/suspended over this we white males of Euro descent should boycott and not watch their boring Big 10 telecasts.
It would be one thing if Bob had said “he flew out to Salinas to pick some lettuce before the race” or “helping Cholos illegally cross the border in his private jet.” Those are uncool.
So is Juan Pablo alright? Do we really know where he is?
3:39 pm on October 25th, 2009
Griese is the typical STUPID hillbilly white boy. Mexicans are the ONLY Latinos that eat tacos. Colombians don’t eat that garbage. Unfortunately, most white Americans are this clueless
4:59 pm on October 25th, 2009
Some of these comments show why racism will never end. People have no idea when they are racist or don’t see it as a problem when they are. Fire this racist a-hole.
6:56 pm on October 25th, 2009
He apologized and it should be accepted
8:12 pm on October 25th, 2009
If he wasn’t feeling guilty about saying that, why is he apologizing so many times?
10:07 pm on October 25th, 2009
WHITE POWER
11:29 pm on October 25th, 2009
JPM didn’t seem to be offended by it.