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OFF AIR: CNN's political analyst has been suspended over comments he made on Twitter

CNN HAS suspended a prominent political analyst for ' regrettable and offensive' tweets, the network announced in a statement.

Roland Martin, whose contribution to CNN has included shows like The situation Room has been taken off air with immediate effect.

"Roland Martin's Tweets were regrettable and offensive," the network said in a statement.

It continued: "Language that demeans is inconsistent with the values and culture of our organization, and is not tolerated. We have been giving careful consideration to this matter, and Roland will not be appearing on our air for the time being."

Martin's suspension follows a series of tweets he wrote during last Sunday's Superbowl game, which caused controversy on the microblogging site.

"If a dude at your Super Bowl party is hyped about David Beckham's H&M underwear ad, smack the ish out of him! #superbowl [sic]," one of his messages read.

MODEL: David Beckham's pictures for his H&M's underwear ad

The 43-year-old initially said he was referring to football fans and that the comments about Beckham’s commercial were related to football and not to anyone’s sexuality. However he later apologised on his website.

"To those who construed my comment as being anti-gay or homophobic or advancing violence, I'm truly sorry. I can certainly understand how someone could come to a different conclusion than the one I meant. I'm disheartened that my words would embolden prejudice. While public debate over social issues is healthy, no matter which side someone takes, there is no room for debate as to whether we need to be respectful of others," he wrote on Monday.

CNN's statement did not specify how long Martin, who has been with the network for five years, will be suspended.