Political commentator Roland Martin has been indefinitely suspended by CNN over a series of tweets he published during the Super Bowl.
“Roland Martin’s tweets were regrettable and offensive,” CNN said in a statement. “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 used his personal twitter to post comments about Super Bowl ads, including an H&M spot showcasing a new David Beckham underwear line.
Martin wrote:
If a dude at your Super Bowl party is hyped about David Beckham’s H&M underwear ad, smack the ish out of him! #superbowl
Several gay and lesbian rights groups immediately expressed their outrage – including GLAAD’s recommendation that Martin be fired from the Network.
The CNN contributor later apologized, issuing 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.
“What Martin tweeted-advocating beatings for men who’d enjoyed the David Beckham underwear ad shown during the Super Bowl plus the same for a New England Patriot clad in a pink suit-was the equivalent of cheerleading for violence against gays,” Washington Post columnist Erik Wemple, the first to report Martin’s suspension, wrote today.
The duration of Martin’s suspension is yet to be released.
Information from Yahoo News, The Washington Post and CNN.com contributed to this report.
