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Does ESPN Have A Blackface Controversy On Its Hands? (UPDATE: ESPN Responds)

Whether blackface or not, this is still a potentially embarrassing gaffe on ESPN’s part.

DJ Steve Porter, whose work we’re fans of, did a Randy Moss mix for the network. In the accompanying video, Porter, who is white, can be seen DJing (from behind) in an afro wig and Moss #84 Vikings jersey. In the final shot, he turns around to reveal what many initially thought was him dressed in blackface.

According to Porter, however, it’s just a mask, and one that Moss himself sold on his website.

Hmm. Mask or not, it’s curious that something that could be remotely interpreted as a white man dressed in blackface made it past ESPN’s censors. For a media outlet that prides itself on its numerous checks and balances, something like this seems surprisingly careless.

UPDATE: ESPN has emailed us the following comment:

“DJ Steve Porter is wearing a Randy Moss Halloween mask for a piece that originally aired on Halloween. The mask was a product marketed and sold by Moss, and Moss himself previously wore it on ESPN during a feature piece. There is simply nothing more to it than that.”

So: controversy?

[via @ToureX]