You gotta be on a different level to post things in the net using the same profile you share your kids pictures with. And by level I mean level of racist/stupidity. Throwing everything away and forever shammed just with a couple sentences. That is true hateHuffPost Fires Social Media Editor For Being Incredibly Racist On Social Media
Longtime Iowa play-by-play radio sportscaster Gary Dolphin’s controversial comments likening a black Maryland basketball player to King Kong elicited mixed reactions from Iowans -- a telltale sign that a divided political state goes beyond the world of politics.
Hawkeye Sports Properties, the multimedia rights manager for Iowa’s athletic department, announced Friday that Dolphin will be suspended for the rest of the season.
He referred to Maryland’s Bruno Fernando as “King Kong” during closing moments of a game Tuesday night in Iowa City.
"That's some pretty good long-range shooting, and then Fernando was King Kong at the end of the game," Dolphin said, according to audio of the broadcast obtained by KCCI.
Kameron Middlebrooks, president of the Des Moines NAACP, called Dolphin’s comments were “inexcusable language,” saying longtime media professionals should be held to a higher standard.
“During the broadcast, I used a comparison when trying to describe a talented Maryland basketball player,” Dolphin said in a statement. “In no way did I intend to offend or disparage the player. I take full responsibility for my inappropriate word choice and offer a sincere apology to him and anyone else who was offended. I will use this as an opportunity to grow as a person and learn more about unconscious bias."
In November 2018, Dolphin found himself in hot water after he criticized the program’s recruiting efforts and made comments directed at Iowa guard Maishe Dailey that inadvertently made it to air during a commercial break.
“How do we not get anybody like that?” Dolphin said. “We just don’t -- year after year. Just get one. We get Maishe Dailey. Dribbles into a double team with his head down. God.”
Coach Fran McCaffery called Dolphin’s comments about Dailey “inexcusable,” and this incident could further inflame tensions between the two.
Larry Morgan, a play-by-play commentator for Drake basketball, said all sportscasters have a line they want to take back.
“If we had an editor, we might not say that,” Morgan said.
Al Lorenzen, who played for Iowa in the 1980s, was dubbed “the Vanilla Gorilla,” by ESPN commentator dikk Vitale.
“In the P.C. era that we all live in today, (the nickname) wouldn’t have been OK,” Lorenzen said. “Let’s be real. As a white male, I don’t have the right to be offended in our culture today.”
But despite the suspension, Iowa fans said they are sticking by Dolphin’s side.
“I think his comments were taken out of context,” Hawkeye fan Nick Augustine said. “I ultimately think Dolph meant it as a compliment to the player.”
Literally the last person that should have had this post.
