ESPN suspends Keith Olbermann for rest of week after Penn State tweets

ESPN anchor Keith Olbermann will not anchor his show for the rest of the week after a series of tweets directed at Penn State students.

Olbermann, who was most recently critical of Penn State on his ESPN show in January after Joe Paterno's vacated wins were restored, was told on Twitter by a user about the $13 million raised by Penn State students for pediatric cancer. He responded to the tweet with a response of "pitiful."

"We are aware of the exchange Keith Olbermann had on Twitter last night regarding Penn State. It was completely inappropriate and does not reflect the views of ESPN," the network said in a statement. "We have discussed it with Keith, who recognizes he was wrong. ESPN and Keith have agreed that he will not host his show for the remainder of this week and will return on Monday. The annual tradition of THON and the efforts of the students of Penn State to fight pediatric cancer should be applauded."

Olbermann said his use of the word "pitiful" was toward Penn State students and not toward the fundraising efforts. The efforts culminate with the Penn State Dance Marathon, known as THON, and students stand and dance for 46 hours straight. Thousands of students participate in the fundraising and over 700 students danced in the marathon. The efforts have raised over $114 million since 1977.

However, that was not the only tweet.

Picking a fight via a pediatric cancer fundraiser is inexplicable. It's an act that Olbermann would likely take to task if it was done by someone else, especially someone he disagreed with.

Olbermann apologized Tuesday afternoon. We'll see if he apologizes again on his show next week.

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Nick Bromberg is the assistant editor of Dr. Saturday on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at nickbromberg@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!

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