Watch Out if Your Name is Lee

Robert Lee lost something in Virginia — and 152 years later, another Robert Lee did, too.

The living Robert Lee, an ESPN broadcaster, was pulled from calling the University of Virginia home opener against William and Mary on Sept. 2 because he shares 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.”