Former NFL quarterback Robert Griffin III has taken a thinly-veiled swipe at ESPN after one of its flagship shows held a debate about Donald Trump’s DEI purge.
The sports world was left furious on Wednesday when a Department of Defense webpage describing baseball and civil rights icon Jackie Robinson’s military service was taken down. It has since been restored.
NFL reporter Mina Kimes was on ESPN show ‘Around the Horn’ – which is drawing to a close – on Wednesday and criticized the Pentagon for taking down Robinson’s page in a speech about Trump and his DEI policies.
It comes as Stephen A. Smith, ESPN’s biggest star, also challenged Trump to a live TV debate after slamming the president’s stance on DEI.
Kimes said: ‘Jackie Robinson was known for many things, but above all, first and foremost, his ongoing courage in the face of racial discrimination.
‘That history cannot be erased, it cannot be undone, and it must be recognized to fully understand and celebrate his legacy.’
ESPN’s Mina Kimes debated Donald Trump’s DEI purge during ‘Around the Horn’ Wednesday
Robert Griffin III insists sports shows ‘shouldn’t be used an excuse to push political agendas’
Griffin III appeared to hit out at the network he previously worked for, insisting sports shows ‘shouldn’t be used as an excuse to push political agendas’.
He posted on X on Thursday: ‘Sports shows on TV should be about sports not politics.’
The former Washington, Cleveland and Baltimore quarterback added in a later post: ‘This tweet is not about Jackie Robinson. His significance can never and should never be erased. Breaking the color barrier in baseball in itself is not political.
‘Jesse Owens winning 4 Gold Medals in itself was not political. Jack Johnson becoming the 1st Black Boxing Heavyweight Champ in itself was not political.
‘They all had political ramifications. They all challenged the status quo of racial barriers to fair play, race relations and civil rights. That should always be acknowledged and never forgotten.
‘They shouldn’t be used as an excuse to push political agendas on sports shows on national television to an audience there to consume sports content.’
In his first week back in office, Trump issued a series of executive orders to restrict DEI initiatives in the US after branding them a form of ‘discrimination’.
DEI laws and measures had been under attack for years by Republicans who believe they threaten merit-based hiring, promotion and educational opportunities of white people, specifically white men.
Some Asian Americans also argue DEI unfairly limits opportunities for students and workers, while certain members of the black community claim it undermines years of progress.
However, supporters of the programs are adamant that they are necessary to ensure institutions meet the needs of increasingly diverse populations.
The page on Robinson includes biographical information about his Army service during World War II, which occurred prior to his famously breaking baseball’s color barrier in 1947 with the Brooklyn Dodgers.
When that page’s address was entered earlier on Wednesday, a message showed up saying it ‘might have been moved, renamed, or may be temporarily unavailable.’
The letters ‘dei’ were also automatically added to the URL. However, it has since returned.
Pentagon press secretary John Ullyot said in a statement to ESPN: ‘Everyone at the Defense Department loves Jackie Robinson, as well as the Navajo Code Talkers, the Tuskegee airmen, the Marines at Iwo Jima and so many others – we salute them for their strong and in many cases heroic service to our country, full stop.
‘We do not view or highlight them through the prism of immutable characteristics, such as race, ethnicity, or sex. We do so only by recognizing their patriotism and dedication to the warfighting mission like ever other American who has worn the uniform.
President Trump has issued a series of executive orders to restrict DEI initiatives in the US
‘DEI – Discriminatory Equity Ideology does the opposite. It Divides the force, Erodes unit cohesion and Interferes with the services’ core warfighting mission.
‘We are pleased by the rapid compliance across the Department with the directive removing DEl content from all platforms.
‘In the rare cases that content is removed – either deliberately or by mistake – that is out of the clearly outlined scope of the directive, we instruct the components and they correct the content so it recognizes our heroes for their dedicated service alongside their fellow Americans, period.’
The page also includes an anecdote about Robinson refusing to move to the back of an Army bus in 1944, prompting the driver to call military police. Robinson was court martialed but acquitted.
