By: A Detroit News sports columnist has left the paper, two weeks after he was criticized for asking Lions coach Rod Marinelli if he had wished his daughter married a better defensive coordinator.
Rob Parker resigned last week, managing editor Don Nauss said Tuesday. Parker declined to comment on his departure.
Joe Barry is Marinelli's son-in-law and was defensive coordinator during Detroit's 0-16 season. On Dec. 21, after a 42-7 loss to New Orleans, Parker asked Marinelli about his daughter's decision to marry Barry.
"Anytime you attack my daughter, I've got a problem with that," Marinelli said.
Parker said he wasn't trying to hurt the coach or his family. He wanted to "lighten the moment" after a rough loss.
Nauss, however, said the question was "inappropriate and unprofessional."
"We said we were taking the matter seriously and we would deal with it," he said. "Draw your own conclusions about what transpired. I have to emphasize Rob submitted his resignation and we accepted it. It was a voluntary action."
The News had stripped Parker of his column and reassigned him in the sports department, said Lou Mleczko, president of Detroit Newspaper Guild Local 22.
The guild filed a grievance this week before learning Parker had quit, Mleczko said.
"The discipline was without just cause," he said. "The News claimed that Parker's comments were unprofessional. I said in my letter to the company that it's subjective criticism."
Nauss said he would not comment on what actions the newspaper took before Parker's resignation.
Marinelli and his son-in-law were fired after the Lions' winless season. Barry's father, assistant offensive line coach Mike Barry, also was dismissed.
Parker's question drew on-air fire from Fox football analyst Terry Bradshaw, who called him a "total idiot."
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