ESPN confirmed Tuesday it had decided to pull play-by-play announcer Robert Lee from the University of Virginia's Sept. 2 football game with William & Mary because it might be seen as insensitive because of the similarity of the announcer's name to Confederate General Robert E. Lee.
"We collectively made the decision with Robert to switch games as the tragic events in Charlottesville were unfolding, simply because of the coincidence of his name," ESPN's statement read, according to Clay Travis, host of Fox Sports Radio's "Outkick the Coverage."
"In that moment it felt right to all parties," the ESPN statement continued. "It's a shame that this is even a topic of conversation and we regret that who calls play-by-play for a football game has become an issue."
Travis also read the ESPN statement Tuesday night on Fox News Channel's "Tucker Carlson Tonight."
Travis said he spoke with a senior ESPN employee who said the changes was not a mandate or demand from the company, but "a people first decision and that assignments are switched all the time."
Travis ridiculed the decision on his website, as did several people on Twitter. They noted that Lee, the sportscaster, is of Asian descent, and likely in no way related to the general, whose statue has sparked controversy among people who want it saved and those who want it removed from a park in Charlottesville, home to the University of Virginia.
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