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Iowa Play-By-Play Man Suspended For Calling African Player “King Kong”

Maryland v Purdue

WEST LAFAYETTE, IN - JANUARY 31: Bruno Fernando #23 of the Maryland Terrapins shoots a jump shot against the Purdue Boilermakers at Mackey Arena on January 31, 2018 in West Lafayette, Indiana. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images)

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IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Iowa play-by-play announcer Gary Dolphin has been suspended for the rest of the season for referring to Maryland’s Bruno Fernando as “King Kong” during a broadcast.

Hawkeye Sports Properties, the multimedia rights manager for Iowa’s athletic, announced the move just hours before the 21st-ranked Hawkeyes hosted Indiana.

No. 24 Maryland beat Iowa 66-65 in Iowa City on Tuesday night. Fernando had 11 points and 11 rebounds, including a go-ahead putback with 7.8 seconds to go.

In describing the game’s closing moments, Dolphin said that Fernando — a 6-foot-10, 240-pound African-American player who was born in Angola — “was King Kong at the end of the game.”

This is the second time that Dolphin has been suspended this season.

He sat out two games after being caught on a microphone criticizing Iowa guard Maishe Dailey in a win over Pittsburgh in November.