ESPN commentator Bob Griese suspended for one game for Juan Pablo Montoya comment
ESPN college football commentator Bob Griese was suspended for one game for a comment made on the air Saturday that Earnhardt Ganassi Racing driver Juan Pablo Montoya was “out having a taco,” the network confirmed Monday. The game Griese was scheduled to work Saturday had not been determined. He will not work any game this coming weekend.
Griese later apologized for the comment he made about the Colombian driver. During the Ohio State-Minnesota college football telecast, ESPN did a promo for the Sprint Cup race Sunday on ABC. The promo mentioned the top five drivers, prompting announcer Chris Spielman to ask where Montoya was in the standings. Griese, an NFL hall of famer, responded that the EGR driver “was out having a taco.”
Griese apologized later in the telecast and then again on ESPN later that night.
“Earlier today on our game, I made an offensive comment regarding Juan Pablo Montoya as part of a NASCAR promo,” Griese said. “It was regrettable and I should not have said it. I really enjoy NASCAR, and I follow it closely, and would like to take this opportunity to apologize to Juan, NASCAR and everyone else who heard my comment.”
Montoya shrugged off the remark and said he didn’t even know who Griese is.
“I don’t really care, to tell you the truth,” Montoya said Sunday. “Yeah, I don’t. I could say I spent the last three hours eating tacos, but I was actually driving a car. But that’s okay, I don’t care.”
