Parker went back on the offense yesterday, to explain why he no longer works at the News and to stand up for his unique brand of journalism. His resignation was actually a buyout that he asked for, and was granted, and truth be told, he was just getting out while the getting is good. (He's right on that one. The News is in trouble and everyone knows it.)

But when asked about the Rod Marinelli situation—again, he asked the former Lions coach at a press conference if he wished his daughter had married a better defensive coordinator—Rob simply explained that this is the nature of his business. That's the way you report the news, when you do it old school:

"I went to Columbia Journalism School," Parker said. "And I can still remember the day I got called into the office and my professor ... thought I was a good reporter but she wanted more out of me. You know what she told me? And I'll never forget these words. She said. 'Robert, I want you to stick the knife in, turn it and draw blood. That is the way you have to be a reporter. You've got to get the information, you've got to go after it. You can't be soft on it.' And that's my approach, and that's the only way I know how to do that job.

And when that doesn't work, you can always just insult their family.

Rob Parker: Journalists Should 'Stick the Knife in, Turn it and Draw Blood' [Rob Parker]

Parker resigned from the Detroit News on Friday, after losing his column and being demoted to "general assignment sports reporter." All this came after he asked a rather unfortunate question about the former Detroit Lions head coach's familial situation. Oh, and maybe making up some stuff earlier in the year.

He worked at the News for eight years, but given the state of Michigan's economy and the newspaper business, he was bound to be out of a job sooner or later. So think of it as a pre-emptive strike. Maybe now he can find a nice coordinator's daughter out there to be his sugar mama.

Columnist Rob Parker Out at Detroit News [Journal-isms]
ROB PARKER OUT AT DETROIT NEWS [World of Isaac]

And that, folks, may be the biggest prick move of the season ... or was it the savviest?

Parker's unfortunate question at the Lions post-game press conference on Sunday was handled with class by Marinelli; Detroit's head coach just grunted and moved on (I suspect that Jim Mora or Mike Ditka may have reacted differently). But it didn't take long for others to pounce on Parker, as we see in the video when Terry Bradshaw and the other the Fox desk jockeys begin gnawing on him. Less than 24 hours later, Parker is a virtual outcast. Take a look at his Wikipedia page, for instance, where I found this little embellishment:

Ha. Sunday's question of course was in reference to Lions defensive coordinator Joe Barry, who is married to Marinelli's daughter. Parker says it was all in fun, and apologized in a column that was hastily put up on the News' web site this morning. But more likely, it may have been just another attempt by Parker to draw attention to himself. At the beginning of the season, no one knew who Rob Parker was; he is by all accounts a pretty average journalist with poor writing skills. But after a little run-in with the Michigan State football folks earlier this year — for which he also has apologized — and now this, he's really getting his name out there, no?

Granted, it's getting out there in the same way that Jay Mariotti and Gregg Doyel do (although both are better writers), with various epithets attached. But it is getting out there. And that could be important, considering the shape that the Daily News is in. If Parker isn't fired over this latest controversy, he may soon be out of a job anyway. Name recognition isn't such a bad thing when you're looking for a job, and if you're seen as an antagonist, all the better.

Parker has been working on this act for longer than people suspect: Remember when he called Hank Aaron a coward? Parker may just be trying to survive the only way he knows how, by marching through the Internets banging a large pot with a metal spoon. Chances are he's on the radio somewhere right now explaining himself, and if so, chances are excellent that it's an ESPN station. Anyway, when you see him next month trading bon mots with Woody Paige on Around the Horn, you'll know why.

Post-game Ugliness In Motown [Pro Football Talk]
There's More To Marinelli [The Detroit News]
Parker Is Either A Liar Or Has An Awful Sense Of Humor [Real Clear Sports]