San Francisco 49ers suspend broadcaster over Ray Rice comments

Reuters

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - The National Football League's San Francisco 49ers suspended one of its radio broadcasters on Wednesday following comments he made regarding former Baltimore Ravens player Ray Rice's domestic violence case, the team said. Commentator Ted Robinson will be suspended for the team's next two games after questioning the actions of Rice's wife, Janay Palmer. Rice was shown in video footage from February punching Palmer, who was then his fiancee, inside an elevator at a New Jersey casino, her head hitting a rail before she crumples to the floor. "How does she marry him after that? How does she go in front of (NFL Commissioner Roger) Goodell? That's pathetic to me," Robinson said during the radio segment, according to CBS Sports. The NFL suspended Rice indefinitely after the video was published on Monday by news website TMZ. The video shows the three-time Pro Bowler strike Palmer viciously before she crumples to the ground. Robinson's suspension comes as the team weathers criticism of its own for allowing one of its players, defensive end Ray McDonald, to continue playing despite being arrested last month on felony domestic violence charges. The team's CEO Jed York said in an interview with Bay Area radio station KNBR-AM on Tuesday that it was "very important that we do let due process," in regard to McDonald. In announcing the suspension, 49ers President Paraag Marathe said in a statement that Robinson's comments were "offensive and in no way reflect the views of the San Francisco 49ers organization." Robinson was also suspended for two weeks by Pac-12 Networks and will be required to undergo sensitivity training, the network said on Wednesday. Robinson apologized on Wednesday for the comments, saying, "My choice of words was careless and does not reflect my true feelings about domestic violence." Last May, the team signed a five-year contract extension with Robinson, who has provided play-by-play for the team's games since 2009, according to the team's website. (Reporting by Curtis Skinner; Editing by Dominic Evans)