Robert Lee lost something in Virginia, and 
152 years later, another Robert Lee did too.
The living Robert Lee, an ESPN sports 
broadcaster, was pulled from calling the 
University of Virginia home opener against 
William and Mary on Sept. 2 due to sharing 
a name with the Confederate general at the 
center of unrest in Charlottesville.
"We collectively made the decision with 
Robert to switch games as the tragic events in 
Charlottesville were unfolding, simply because 
of the coincidence of his name," Derek Volner,
 an ESPN spokesman, told The Washington 
Post in an emailed statement.
"In that moment it felt right to all parties. It's a 
shame that this is even a topic of conversation
 and we regret that who calls play by play for
 a football game has become an issue," he said.
Volner declined to say if the network made a
 preemptive decision or responded to outside 
pressure to pull Lee from the broadcast. He 
also did not say if Lee was made available
 for comment. Lee, a sportscaster for 20 years,
 began his career calling games at Syracuse 
University, his alma mater. He is bilingual and 
speaks Mandarin Chinese, according to his
 online resume.
He did not respond to a request for comment

 on Twitter. Asian American Journalists 
Association did not immediately respond to 
a request for comment. Sports Illustrated writer 
Richard Deitsch said on Twitter Lee "was 
more comfortable not doing this assignment" 
per an ESPN spokesperson.