Curt Schilling, the MLB pitcher turned analyst for ESPN, was fired by the network after sharing a post on Facebook that appeared to comment on North Carolina's law that bars transgender people from using the bathroom that corresponds with their gender identity.
In a now-deleted Facebook post (captured by Out Sports) he wrote: "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."
Schilling also shared a a photo of a man wearing a blond wig, a skirt and a T-shirt with holes cut in it to show his nipples. The words accompanying the image say: "LET HIM IN! to the restroom with your daughter or else you're a narrow-minded, judgmental, unloving racist bigot who needs to die."
The backlash to the posts was immediate, and Schilling took to his on Tuesday to defend his actions, writing, "Let's make one thing clear right up front. If you get offended by ANYTHING in this post, that's your fault, all yours." He also wrote: "This latest brew ha ha is beyond hilarious. I didn't post that ugly looking picture. I made a comment about the basic functionality of mens and womens restrooms, period."
ESPN released a statement Wednesday announcing Schilling had been fired.
"ESPN is an inclusive company. Curt Schilling has been advised that his conduct was unacceptable and his employment with ESPN has been terminated," the statement read in its entirety.
This was not the first time Schilling had gotten into trouble on social media. Last year he was suspended by ESPN for sharing an image that made a comparison between Muslims and Nazis.
And as The New York Times adds:
"Last month, [Schilling] waded into politics on a Kansas City radio station when he suggested that Hillary Clinton 'should be buried under a jail somewhere' if she gave 'classified information on hundreds if not thousands of emails on a public server, after what happened to General Petraeus.' "
Last year, former CIA Director and retired Gen. David Petraeus was accused of providing classified data to his mistress.
Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org. 9(MDAxNzg0MDExMDEyMTYyMjc1MDE3NGVmMw004))
