Bob Griese uses racially insensitive language while discussing Juan Pablo Montoya

Another day, another ESPN analyst in trouble. On the heels of the Steve Phillips "Fatal Attraction" remake, ESPN football analyst Bob Griese apologized twice Saturday for a comment he made about NASCAR driver Juan Pablo Montoya during ESPN's telecast of Ohio State and Minnesota.

To promote Sunday's NASCAR race, ESPN displayed a graphic with the top five drivers in the Chase for the Cup race. Color commentator Chris Spielman asked "Where's Montoya?"

"Out eating a taco," Griese responded.

Wow. What a dumb thing to say.

Griese later apologized. "Juan Pablo Montoya is one of the best drivers in NASCAR. I just want to apologize for the comment I made earlier in the ballgame." I wonder which ESPN executive ordered him to do that.

ESPN released a statement shortly afterward.

"During today's telecast of the Ohio State-Minnesota college football game on ESPN, analyst Bob Griese made an inappropriate comment when discussing NASCAR driver Juan Pablo Montoya. Bob apologized during the telecast, and plans to apologize again during ESPN's college football programming after his plane lands. ESPN has spoken to Bob and he understands that his comment was uncalled for."

-- Houston Mitchell

Comments

[mike]

wow. Is this what we have come to.
I'm going to file a racially insensitive lawsuit next time I hear anyone say ' token white player', 'white boy',' cracker' 'honky' or white men can't dance or jump.
It's about time white guys start acting perpetually offended.

[Tucson Sam]

This is a normal thing for people to hear coming from an Sigma Chi Fraternity member. He should quit his job and just go fishing....

[Raul]

I believe that Americans in many situations like this overreact, at comments as this. I'm sure that Montoya's feeling weren't hurt at all. I as a Mexican maybe in a similar situation might say "out eating a hamburger" referring to an American with no bad intention and feeling no guilt at all.

[Chris]

Mike-

wow. Use a ? when asking a question. Is this what we have come to? <--

Have fun with your lawsuits.

Have fun being a white guy.

Go eat a taco.

[Raul]

wow!what's wrong with that?
I don't take offense, now let me eat my tacos, with extra beans please.

[matt angle]

Hey Mike, Juan Pablo IS a white guy. He's a formula-1 driver from Spain. FYI tacos are not from Spain.

[Michael Walker]

What an utter nothing statement. He said he ate a taco, that's a racial slur? Are you guys sober? I thought racial slurs were guys in sheets running lynch mobs. This is so retarded it isn't worth of commentary, I added mine just to say this line of crap is so lame I stopped subscribing to the LA Times years after I finally got so disgusted with SoCal I moved 10 years ago. This is a disgrace to journalism, a good man, and community and to a society that once knew what right an wrong is.

[Tony]

Michael Walker -
A slur is NOT somethig you wear. And if lynch mobs are your idea of making a statement, then thank god you left California. I'm sure you moved to a place where this moron, Griese, is NOT "a disgrace to journalism, a good man, and community and to a society that once knew what right an wrong is." (Whatever the hell the last part means.)
So, have fun being a white guy; hopefully un-hooded.

By the way, Montoya is not Spaniard (nor "Spanish.") He's from Colombia. And not a white colombian. He is a former Formula-1 driver, but now an Indy racer.

[tom]

DON'T YOU THINK THIS IS ANOTHER PC BS?

GRIESE'S COMMENT WAS NOTHING MORE THAN HIS MAKING A
JOKE.

HAD HE SAID A "OUT HAVING A HOT DOG," WOULD THERE HAVE
BEEN SUCH A SILLY REACTION.

[Tracy Beatty]

Bob Griese should be fired. Had he made racial remarks about a black athelete, he would have been. I am so tired of the double standard. You can say anything about anyone as long as they are not black. The rules need to be the same for all races. No exceptions!!!!!!

[Wes]

Juan is actually Columbian.

Griese should be glad Juan wasn't black or he'd be looking for a new job after the Revs got done with him.

[spoody]

So if a Montoya was British and he said he was out eating some Bangers and Mash would that be Racist?

If Montoya was from Sweden and he said he was out eating Lutafisk, that would be racist?

If Montoya was German and he said he was out eating Bratwurst, that would be racist?

If Montoya was Chinese and he said he was out eating stir fry, that would be racist?

How about people wake up and relax. Anyone who thinks that is a racist comment is a race-baiting moron.

[Andrew Speer]

Insensitive? Montoya took far worse than that from the Limeys when he was racing in F1.

Ignorant? Absurdly so. Montoya is from Colombia, and tacos are far less common in Bogota than they are in Peoria.

Perhaps we should spend more time getting to know each other and less time fretting about giving offense. You know what they say about making an omelette.

[Shawn]

It was a really stupid comment.

Montoya is from Columbia. Tacos are from Mexico.

Go look at a map, read about the two countries and educate yourself on the differences.

Its not about being PC its about sounding like an insensitive, uneducated, untraveled boor. But, hey - if that's the image you (and Griese) want to convey - that is your right. And its my right to think it's too bad you haven't had a chance to travel the world and intermingle with other cultures.

[Charlie]

Besides the obvious stupidity of the comment and his ignorance of Nascar, Griese clearly knows nothing about Columbian cuisine. Mr. Griese, Mr. Montoya is from Columbia.

[perez]

i always have respected Bob Griese,till now! what a racist remark.some white people still dont get it!

[ken]

I would agree this was not racial in nature. The comment Griese made was foolish, off-color and ignorant. I believe the comment is associated with racism because the it's the type of comment a racist could say (with of course much worse). So while this pararelled racism i would say it was more boneheaded (no offense to large skulled humans intended).

FYI Montoya has won: The Indianapolis 500, 8 wins in F1 including Monaco, the 24 hours of Daytona (twice) and a road course win in NASCAR. He is currently in the Sprint Chase (playoffs) in NASCAR.

[Scott Lennon]

WHAT'S IN A NAME? Juan Pablo Montoya when he first came to this country was more a gentleman than 80% of all the other drivers. Juan Pablo Montoya ALWAYS takes the time for every fan no matter how big or how small. Juan Pablo Montoya happens to also be one of the most versitile and greatest drivers ever. Happened to be years ago mom said I was born with the wrong last name, in American Motorsports if you had the right last name you got the drive even if they could not drive a nail and most times those siblings forgot about the FANS, the key that pays for that ride something Juan Pablo Montoya always remembers and with that is respect for the people that got him there and keep him there! Juan Pablo Montoya represents the best of the best on and off the track, something certain family racers never had and never will only because they forget about the most important thing RESPECT!!!! A key component one Bob Griese seems to have forgot, remember the fans can taketh away! Oh Juan Pablo Montoya happens to be Latino too!

[Chris]

This is ridiculous. Now, literally anything a white male says about a person of any other race or religion nationality or gender or sexual preference can be dubbed racially or religious or "gender" insensitive. We are rapidly turning into a balkanized USA where our roots have been revised into some politically correct multiculturalism.

[fernanco Caicedo]

Montoya does not like tacos...he is not mexican, he prefers a good 'arepa' colombiana!

[harkin]

I'm half spanish/mexican and I love tacos. If someone suggested I was out eating a taco (or enchilada or chile rellano) 25% of the time they'd be right.

The thought police strike again.

[Kristen]

Uh..Juan Pablo is from Columbia...The taco comment is a bit out of line, however it might have been more upsetting if they blamed him for out drinking a cup of coffee....Bob, get your facts straight...you dumb @#$!

[356man]

For the record, Montoya is Colombian, not "Columbian". A "Columbian" sounds like an Ohio State fan. Montoya also races in NASCAR these days, not Indy. As for Griese, IHMO I heard the remark live and knew he was rightfully going to take heat for making a stupid and totally ignorant remark tring to be "funny". Taco, indeed.

[Alan Deming]

"So if a Montoya was British and he said he was out eating some Bangers and Mash would that be Racist?

If Montoya was from Sweden and he said he was out eating Lutafisk, that would be racist?

If Montoya was German and he said he was out eating Bratwurst, that would be racist?

If Montoya was Chinese and he said he was out eating stir fry, that would be racist?"

I think the poster of the above misses the point. None of the above, other than possibly the Chinese example, would be seen as racist because these food examples are not be used to ridicule, belittle, or besmirch people of these ethnic backgrounds. Much like the whole Fuzzy Zoeller/ Tiger Woods thing a few years back, Griese's statement shouldn't be seen as racist, but we have seen in our history where eating of fried chicken and greens has been used as a negative against blacks just as the eating of tacos has been used negatively against Latinos -- including those like Montoya who come from Latin nations where tacos are not even eaten.

The notion of Griese being a white guy victimized by the thought police is ridiculous; perhaps he's another white guy who hasn't been in the position to have their life as crafted by demeaning racial or ethnic stereotypes. Griese made an inappropriate comment and he apologized, which is all should be expected here. I want him to understand the hurt that he's caused some people (along with people defending him, screaming thought police, etc.), but I'd love to see people reacting to this comment come to the realization that it doesn't cause as great an injury as other comments or acts that a person can commit against another.

[GB]

What a huge non-issue. It was a bad joke, but not racist! I think it was dumb of him to apologize...twice it seems, because the media obviously made way too much out of it.