And don’t mention Bob Lee

Paul’s post on ESPN’s decision to pull Robert Lee from calling the University of Virginia/William & Mary football game in Charlottesville sounds like a satirical joke. Were it not for the indomitable Iowahawk, I would have thought that ESPN has outrun satire.

The announcers who call the U.Va. game have to be careful not to mention former NFL quarterback Bob Lee. He had stints with both the Vikings and the Falcons. He played in a couple of Super Bowls. Reviewing his career, I learn that he is one of ten quarterbacks to post both a perfect quarterback rating and a zero passer rating over the course of their careers, and is the first to have done so in the same season. (I also learn that former Fox News anchor Jenna Lee is his daughter.)

Lee’s full name is Robert Melville Lee. I don’t think he is named after the Confederate general, but he earned the nickname “General” Lee during a period of success with the Falcons. If announcers were to slip up and recall the former NFL player, I’m quite sure it wouldn’t “feel right” to ESPN executives.

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