Were you offended by CNN’s Roland Martin’s Super Bowl tweets?
Roland Martin, CNN’s political commentator known for his colorful ascots, has been suspended following an uproar over some tweets he posted during the Super Bowl.
The Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation publicly criticized Martin, calling some of his comments homophobic.
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Martin also reportedly tweeted, “Who the hell was that New England Patriot they just showed in a head to toe pink suit? Oh, he needs a visit from #teamwhipdatass.”
However that tweet appears to have been deleted.
The comments immediately sparked a Twitter war as Roland spent most of the Super Bowl defending himself to other users attacking him.
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CNN issued this statement Wednesday:
Roland Martin’s tweets were regrettable and offensive. Language that demeans is inconsistent with the values and culture of our organization, and is not tolerated. We have been giving careful consideration to this matter, and Roland will not be appearing on our air for the time being.
The incident stirs up memories of Octavia Nasr, Rick Sanchez, and Juan Williams — all on-air personalities who received public and professional backlash for controversial remarks.
On his own website, Martin issued a statement:
Based on several tweets I made on my Twitter feed on Super Bowl Sunday yesterday, I have been accused by members of the LGBT community of being supportive of violence against gays and lesbians and bullying.
That is furthest from the truth, and I sincerely regret any offense my words have caused.
Do you think Roland Martin should have been suspended? Harmless jokes? Or insensitive homophobic statements?
