Last year, ESPN suspended baseball commentator and former all-star pitcher Curt Schilling for a Tweet comparing Muslims to Nazis.
Apparently not willing to leave bad enough alone, this week he decided to go after the transgender community in a Facebook post (right) by sharing a blatantly defamatory message.
Shortly after the post appeared, he wrote on his own blog: “Let’s make one thing clear right upfront. If you get offended by ANYTHING in this post, that’s your fault, all yours. This latest brew ha ha is beyond hilarious. I didn’t post that ugly picture. I made a comment about the basic functionality of men’s and women’s restrooms, period.”
To add insult to injury, today he took to WEEI radio in Boston, where he resides, to defend himself by denying, well, everything.
How about we take this to the next level?
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“To be in a place where people actually believe I’m a racist or I’m transphobic says to me that something has gone horribly askew somewhere,” he said.
ESPN had heard enough.
“ESPN is an inclusive company,” the company said in a statement. “Curt Schilling has been advised that his conduct was unacceptable and his employment with ESPN has been terminated.”
While Schilling clearly cares who goes into which bathroom, he has seemed more sanguine about what goes on in the privacy of bedrooms. In a series of Tweets in 2013, the pitching great said:
I’ve never understood this ‘issue’ with gay players? Who cares? I know I played with some, their sexual orientation never had much… to do with how they hit with [a runner in scoring position], or pitched in late and close situations.
Why the hell would what they do in the bedroom ever matter?
Schilling’s most passionate supporter was his own 16-year-old son, Grant, who insisted on Facebook that his father would never say the things he has said publicly in the privacy of their own home:
Ladies and Gentleman, today it’s come to my attention my father Curt Schilling has been slandered as a “transphobic bigot.” And while I will say he’s not the most well informed in the modern LGBT+ culture, i can assure you he’s made great strides to understand people today. If he were a bigot he wouldn’t have allowed my Trans friends to stay over, he’s respected pronouns and name changes- never once have I heard him say something to me that I thought he should keep quiet about. he’s said a lot of things he didn’t know we’re offensive but then again I can guarantee that thousands of people every day say stuff that’s offensive without even knowing it. I hope you can all understand that he and I have talked even today about Trans culture in America and he’s even talked about how he doesn’t understand it, to which I’ve tried to explain it to him and he’s listened very closely.
For the people trying to portray my father as a transphobic bigot you aren’t helping the community at all by making enemies. If you were really a part of our community- rather than try and start lies you’d educate or at least try and get him to understand.
He may say some stupid things but in this instance he’s said nothing. Leave him be.
Dave Downunder
If he is so enlightened and accepting of peoples differences in his own home then why does he post this bigoted rhetoric in a public forum? Either he is just biting is tongue at home and then venting his hate on social media therefore pulling the wool over his families eyes about his true nature or he has put his son up to posting this on facebook in an effort of damage control.
Louis
Good riddance if people cant learn to shut their mouths and actually educate themselves and gain some empathy and understanding before they open their mouths then this is on them period.
Poncho Sanchez
I think the issue has little to do with the gay movement. Gay rights is about self-acceptance. Transgenderism is about body alteration/mutilation, which contradicts the whole gay movements message.
DCguy
Look, bigotry is getting to be expensive. There will be a learning curve. FOX News has convinced these folks that it is ok to be rac-ist and bigots and spout off about it, but the business community has decided that it is bad business to continue to tolerate bigotry.
They will learn, and if they don’t they will have trouble getting employed.
Masc Pride
I think the first mistake was claiming his posts were bigoted. The guy only retweeted a meme and then he went on to state what is biologically true (all on his social media page). This is simply agenda, and the agenda is clearly looking to make an example of Schilling. We’ve seen it all before. It’s undoubtedly a bad time to start doing this. This type of thing is exactly what is keeping Trump supporters energized. On top of that, democrat turnout has been low in early primaries. We have republicans that are fired up and democrats that aren’t really sure. Keep PC’ing everyone to death and watch Trump walk right into the White House…and then we actually WILL have lots of legitimate complaining to do.
DCguy
@Masc Pride:
I love it when the defenders of the right wing make claims about what supposedly happened, but they never post what was actually said.
If what he said wasn’t offensive then why don’t you cut and paste it here?
Masc Pride
@DCguy: “A man is a man no matter what they call themselves. I don’t care what they are, who they sleep with, men’s room was designed for the penis, women’s not so much. Now you need laws telling us differently? Pathetic.”
Masc Pride
Also, I don’t know what Schilling’s political affiliation is, and I really couldn’t care less either way. I don’t let liberal and conservative dictate how I feel about things.
alterego1980
Is his son trans? that would make his comments even more ridiculous.
DCguy
@Masc Pride:
You left out some, but I also love the way you pretend that you don’t want liberals or conservatives telling you how to feel and yet you are always on here defending conservatives.
onthemark
@DCguy: I love how Masc Pride didn’t even guess right about Trump! – lol – NY Times 4/21: Donald Trump Says Transgender People Should Use The Bathroom They Want
onthemark
@Masc Pride: “Also, I don’t know what Schilling’s political affiliation is…”
Schilling is a Republican who stole/wasted a lot of taxpayer money in Rhode Island in the “38 Studios” scandal. Typical Republican phony!
Masc Pride
@DCguy: I didn’t leave out anything. What conservatives am I always defending? And please provide links, not just your clearly biased recollection.
Kangol
@Masc Pride: He’s a conservative Republican. Big surprise!
Masc Pride
Voted for Obama (twice) and just got back from voting for Sanders and Chris Van Hollen in my state’s primary because I’m a big ole republican! Try harder, guys.