On Tuesday, one Robert Lee was
punished for the actions of another. When
ESPN decided to remove the sports broadcaster Robert Lee from covering the first University of Virginia football game of the season, it was, per the network’s own statement “simply because of the coincidence of his name.” UVA, and its home of Charlottesville, have been embroiled in turmoil over the removal of a statue of Robert E. Lee, and the network thought it best to not evoke the obvious comparisons.
According to
a statement from an ESPN executive shared by the journalist Yashar Ali, the move was made to protect Lee from potential “memes and jokes” and Lee himself was involved in the decision.
Regardless, all of this happened because, presumably, Lee’s parents liked the sound of the name Robert.
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