By Pat Harty

IOWA CITY, Iowa – My original intent with this column was to be critical of both the timing and the reason for Gary Dolphin's indefinite suspension.

I'm backing off a little bit from criticizing the reason after gaining some valuable perspective, but the timing still leaves much to be desired, as does the silence surrounding the suspension.

Why make the announcement just hours before the start of a critical Big Ten game against Indiana when it could’ve been made on Wednesday or Thursday?

And why no comment from Iowa Athletic Director Gary Barta, or from somebody associated with the university before Friday's game?

Anything would've been a step up from the release that didn't even have a name or quote attached to it.

But to say nothing gives the impression that Iowa is hiding and lacks leadership, accountability and transparency. It also leads to rampant speculation.

There might be a simple explanation for the timing of the suspension. Maybe Iowa wasn't made aware of Dolphin's comment until Friday, although, I doubt that because the rumor surfaced on Thursday, or maybe sooner, according to some of the feedback that I have received.

I was told that UI officials received one e-mail informing them about Dolphin's comment that led to the suspension. But when that e-mail was received is uncertain.  

Iowa’s play-by-play announcer for men’s basketball and football for the past 22 years was suspended on Friday for saying that Maryland forward Bruno Fernando played like King Kong down the stretch of this past Tuesday’s game at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.

The 6-foot-10 Fernando, who is black, made a put-back in the closing seconds that proved to be the game-winning basket. He also grabbed 11 rebounds and was mostly responsible for holding Iowa forward Tyler Cook to just six points on four field-goal attempts.

In other words, Fernando was an overpowering force for which Iowa had no answer.

Dolphin compared Fernando to another overpowering force, but unfortunately, Dolphin made a comparison that could be considered insensitive due to our country’s ugly history of racism.

And now he’s paying a heavy price for it, perhaps too heavy as I will address later in the column.

This will always be a part of Dolphin’s legacy, and that’s a shame because I don’t believe that Gary Dolphin has a racist bone in his body.

He was live on the air and made a comparison in the heat of the moment that wasn’t politically correct at a time when being politically correct is fully expected in this racially charged environment.

I understand, even as a middle-aged white man, that what Dolphin said could be considered insensitive and unacceptable to some.

I also understand that my perception of what Dolphin said is different than how it might be perceived by somebody who is black.

That’s why I reached out to several friends of mine who are black to get their reaction and their perspective. Two of them said they had no problem with what Dolphin said because they consider the King Kong reference to be a compliment. They said that King Kong is an overpowering force that can’t be stopped, and that's what Dolphin was saying about Fernando.

But I also had somebody who is black reach out to me on Twitter to say that she wasn’t offended by what Dolphin said, but that it was a poor choice of words and that she cringed when she heard him say it because she knew what the outcome would be.

She also said that I was in no position as a white man to speak on behalf of black people because are perceptions and our experiences are so different.

And she was right about everything.

I backed away from criticizing the reason for the suspension because my perception of what Dolphin said doesn’t speak for everybody. And it certainly doesn’t speak on behalf of black people because that would be impossible for me to do.

It probably didn’t help Dolphin’s cause that he already was suspended for two games this season for making critical comments in a game that were inadvertently aired during the start of a commercial break. Dolphin singled out Iowa player Maishe Dailey for criticism and Iowa coach Fran McCaffery later called the criticism inexcusable.

So Dolphin already had one strike against him, and three strikes apparently wasn't offered.

It seems excessive to have suspended Dolphin for the remainder of the basketball season because he wasn't trying to be insensitive and because what he said wasn't that harsh or inflammatory.

But he already was on thin ice because of the first suspension. And I seriously doubt that Dolphin has the support of everybody in the Iowa Athletic Department. 

My hope is that Dolphin is given another chance, beginning with 2019 Iowa football season, because to terminate him would be an over-reaction under the circumstances.

Dolphin made a bad choice of words, but there was no evil in his intent.

This is just a sad and unfortunate situation that could have been handled better by everybody, but especially Barta because he is in charge of the athletic department. He is always available to talk about good things, like his recent addition to the College Football Playoff selection committee.

But when a controversy surfaces, Barta usually says nothing and that is frustrating not only for the media, but also for the fans who are losing their patience and their trust in Iowa's leadership.

Barta might have been told by somebody above him not to comment publicly on Dolphin's situation. And if that is the case, then just say it because to say nothing looks horrible and weak.

I feel for the Iowa players because they deserve better than being reduced to a sideshow.

I also feel for Dolphin because I think his his heart was in the right place despite his unfortunate choice of words.