Curt Schilling posted a meme on Facebook that was highly offensive to many people. Also, today was a day that ended in “y.”
This time, Schilling targeted the political hot-button issue of what’s happening with the LGBT community in North Carolina and the state’s controversial bathroom law. He did so with the grace and care of a Randy Johnson fastball hitting a bird.
Here are the since deleted meme and accompanying comment from Schilling’s Facebook page, via the New York Daily News:
The outrage has already commenced, both from Schilling’s critics and the critics of Schilling’s critics.
Should anyone be surprised? Of course not. This is who Curt Schilling is and what Curt Schilling does – he is going to speak his mind no matter what the consequences or public sentiment may be. And no matter how many times he’s fallen under fire, or been suspended, or asked to tone it down, clearly makes no difference.
The confounding thing in all of this is that ESPN as a network has traditionally done everything they can to make sure they as a network and their employees stay away from polarizing political issues. Schilling, for whatever reason, seems to be the exception to that rule. And this time he can’t even use his spam folder as an excuse.
But as much as his critics might say this is the final straw for Schilling, it’s really impossible to quantify when his situation at the network becomes untenable given everything that has happened up to this point. And who knows, maybe it benefits Schilling to be fired by ESPN for his Facebook postings to become a martyr for his cause and an ultimate symbol of the “intolerance” that truly exists.
It’s truly a no-win situation for ESPN, who at this point may just be hoping to ride it out until his contract expires, hoping that he goes away quietly. Not likely.
Of course, it should be noted that Schilling’s employer, ESPN, gave Caitlyn Jenner the Arthur Ashe Courage Award at this year’s ESPYs.
We’ve reached out to ESPN for comment and will update if and when one becomes available.
Update: Schilling himself has responded with a blog post. Here’s the key part:
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.
See here’s the thing. I do NOT care what color you are, what race, what sex, who you sleep with, what you wear. I don’t care and I never have. I have opinions, but they’re just that, opinions. And opinions are like buttholes, everyone has one and they usually stink.
You know how I know you ‘offended’ people are full of crap? Because I’m not even close to any of the things you so desperately want me to be, so you can whine.
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