San Francisco 49ers suspend radio broadcaster over Ray Rice comments

August 24, 2014; Santa Clara, CA, USA; General view of an endzone pylon before the game between the San Francisco 49ers and the San Diego Chargers at Levi
August 24, 2014; Santa Clara, CA, USA; General view of an endzone pylon before the game between the San Francisco 49ers and the San Diego Chargers at Levi

The San Francisco 49ers on Wednesday suspended radio broadcaster Ted Robinson for two games over remarks he made about the Ray Rice situation on Monday.

In an interview with the 49ers’ flagship station, KNBR-AM, on Monday, Robinson made a comment about Rice’s wife, Janay:

"“How does she marry him after that? How does she go in front of (Roger) Goodel? That’s pathetic to me.”"

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Robinson was also suspended for two games by the Pac-12 Network.

In a statement, 49ers president Paraag Marathe said, per the San Jose Mercury News:

"“The comments made by radio broadcaster Ted Robinson on Monday were offensive and in no way reflect the views of the San Francisco 49ers organization. We have made the decision to suspend him for the next two games. I informed Ted of our decision earlier today and we will continue to address this matter with him internally. Our organization stands strongly against domestic violence and will not tolerate comments such as these.”"

The 49ers don’t stand strongly enough to do anything with Ray McDonald, but hey, they stand strongly enough to toss a guy off the radio … so that’s something.

Cam Inman of the Mercury News said Bob Fitzgerald will fill in for Robinson:

For his part, Robinson released a statement:

"“I want to unconditionally apologize for my comments the other day. As a professional communicator, I am responsible for my words. My choice of words was careless and does not reflect my true feelings about domestic violence. I understand that the cycle of abuse keeps people in unhealthy relationships. No blame or responsibility for domestic violence should ever be placed on a victim.”"

According to the report, Robinson will also undergo sensitivity training.