CNN has apparently caved in to pressure from gay groups by suspending political analyst Roland Martin for making a joke about British soccer star David Beckham.
A CNN spokeswoman confirmed the suspension with this statement issued today:
“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.”
Martin came under attack from gay groups after tweeting a wisecrack about Beckham’s underwear commercial which aired during Sunday’s Super Bowl telecast on NBC.
Martin seemed to suggest in his tweet that his followers “smack the ish out of” any male Super Bowl fan who is “hyped about David Beckham’s H&M underwear ad.”
Martin added that “real bruhs” would not purchase underwear advertised by Beckham.
A network suspension is usually the first step towards a contract termination. Martin was a CNN political analyst for 4 years.
Source: Washington Post blog
