Robert Griffin III Recalls Being Warned By "ESPN" About NSFW Jokes On Air

Robert Griffin III revealed that a particularly bawdy joke told on an ESPN broadcast last year got him in a great deal of trouble with the network. "We had this game for Oregon State. I’m calling the game, and it’s Oregon State against Stanford. Early in the game, I’m like, ‘Let’s see how much wood these Beavers can take. I had like six other borderline things that I said in that game. I got a call after that game because it was way too much. It was egregious. It wasn’t like ‘Hey, you’re gonna get fired if you keep doing this.’ But it was like, ‘Hey, you probably shouldn’t keep doing this'," Griffin told Kay Adams of FanDuel.

ESPN has tried to walk the line between entertainment and professionalism for many years. Stephen A. Smith has often blended this line, especially in recent months as his podcast, which is not an ESPN product, has grown more and more bawdy. Similarly, the ManningCast has seen its hosts push the boundary of what ESPN will and will not allow on its platforms.

Desmond Howard Has Hilarious Slip-Up On "ESPN"

Of course, there is nothing that can be done about unintentional lewdity. Back in October, Desmond Howard went viral for a misheard chant while covering the Border War rivalry game. As then-#7 Washington and then-#8 Oregon prepared to face off in their first-ever top-ten clash, Howard was working the crowd alongside Harry the Husky, Washington's mascot. "He got the Big Penix Energy! I said, he got that Big Penix Energy!" Howard chanted in reference to Washington QB and Heisman front-runner Michael Penix Jr.. However, as Penix's surname is pronounced "Pee-nix", Howard's energy chanting definitely made it sound like he was saying "Big Penis Energy" instead.

As for the game itself, it was a true instant classic. The two PNW schools engaged a thrilling shootout that saw Washington survive and stay undefeated as Oregon's kicker shanked a game-tying field goal as time expired. The Dawg faithful stormed the field to celebrate Washington's 36-33 win. Penix Jr. had another stellar game, throwing for 302 yards and four touchdowns. Meanwhile, running back Dillon Johnson added another score on the ground along with a 100-yard game. Cooking the secondary all game long, two Washington receivers surpassed 100 yards on the day.

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