I don't think "in today's world" is relevant. If this was said 15 years ago, I believe the reaction would be the same. And honestly, the backlash wasn't really that bad. Nobody suddenly thinks he's some closet racist or some shit. This isn't Limbaugh/McNabb.
The comment was dumb, he should have known better, and I think the suspension was warranted just as a stupidity tax. Like, come on dude.
HOWEVER, Whitlock actually had a good point (I KNOW, RIGHT???). Let's just say that there was an undiscovered advantage that Tim actually tripped over. If you could actually prove it, USE THAT SHIT. It's extremely rare that black people get an advantage based on the color of their skin. I mean...*shrug*
This. All I said was it was idiotic. Because it was. Suspension, not fired is fine. Better off just not going there. Stupidity tax seems right. I don't recall this being a thing when CK was their QB running option plays, they have those black alternate jerseys. Or when they play Russ Wilson twice a year who is a black, option QB.
Maybe he'd been thinking about it for a really long time, talking about it with his friends in bars, and finally it slipped out on a live broadcast.