From Mlive.com’s Tom Kowalski :
After Detroit’s 42-7 loss to the Saints on Sunday, Detroit News columnist Rob Parker spent several minutes grilling Rod Marinelli about the performance of his defensive coordinator — and son-in-law — Joe Barry and why Barry wasn’t fired for the team’s poor defensive production. After the often-intense exchange, Parker said, “On a lighter note — do you wish your daughter had married a better defensive coordinator?”
Marinelli didn’t respond at that time, but he addressed the situation today.
“Anytime you attack my daughter, I’ve got a problem with that. In a room of stink … and as a man and it was premeditated. I think there was something wrong with that, yeah.”
When asked if Parker had crossed the line, Marinelli said, “Big time.”
Marinelli refused to address two questions about what he meant by “room of stink.”
“I’ll leave it at that,” he said, adding that he had not talked to Parker and had no desire to do so.
On why he didn’t immediately respond to Parker’s question, Marinelli said: “I just don’t think that’s the right stage for that. To me, it’s not. It’s the wrong stage for the game of football and for me to even react to something like that, on a stage about football — it’s a kid’s game, it’s for the kids. It’s wrong.”
First of all, Parker’s attempt at humor, for which he’s already apologized, was a wildly inappropriate look-at-me moment, adding further insult to the injury of the Lions’ 0-15 campaign. But it was also genuinely funny (on paper, anyway, less so on video) and exactly the sort of thing any number of Lions fans must’ve said to themselves on prior occasions. Whether or not Parker’s job description ought to include acting like a blogger jerk is between he and his employers, but make no mistake, this was hardly an attack on Rod Marinelli’s daughter as much as it was an comment on the coach’s competency. There’s little good to be gained from badgering a man at the low ebb of his career, but had Parker dropped the “do you wish your daughter had married a better defensive coordinator?” line in print, the likes of Terry Bradshaw could well ask why he didn’t have the guts to say it to Marinelli’s face.
On this morning’s Mike & Mike (guest-hosted by Stephen A. Smith & Eric Kuselias — you could measure the improvement in micrometers), Mr. Smith went on the warpath when this story came up, chastising Parker (& any Parkers-to-be) for getting too familiar w/ the folks they’re covering and thinking they’re pals that wouldn’t sell you down the river @ a moment’s notice. Given Smith’s chosen modes of expression, I guess he’d know better than anyone, but I can’t think of many friendships — professional or otherwise — that wouldn’t at least hit speedbumps after that sort of loaded question’s posed.
Maybe Parker’s auditioning for a spot on Howard Stern’s show? Or Ashton Kutcher’s signed a development deal w/ the Worldwide Leader?
if this is rob parker give me a shout out in a e-mail im johnathonbanksent.com(my brother) we talk a while ago when i fixed yo inter from att hope to hear from u soon