Everyone else at ESPN is the problem, not Curt Schilling.
That was the controversial former pitcher and broadcaster’s take on Thursday. He isn’t racist or homophobic or transphobic, but others at the network are.
“Some of the most racist things I’ve ever heard have come out of people that are on the air at ESPN,” Schilling said, according to Newsday. “They’re some of the biggest racists in sports commentating.
“You listen to Stephen A. Smith, and Stephen A. Smith was the guy who said that Robert Griffin didn’t play quarterback for [Washington] because he’s black. No, Robert Griffin didn’t play quarterback for [Washington] because he [stunk].”
The comments were made during SiriusXM Satellite Radio’s “Breitbart News Patriot Forum.”
Schilling, who was part of ESPN’s baseball coverage since 2010, was fired last week after sharing a Facebook post about transgender people. He has been in hot water in the past for other social media statements.
Schilling called ESPN executives hypocrites for letting Tony Kornheiser compare “the Tea Party to ISIS” and Dan Le Batard talk about President Obama going to Cuba.
“To me that means focus on sports unless you want to talk about something that is part of the liberal agenda,” he said.
During the taping of the show, Schilling added: “Why would the voicing of an opinion be risking anything? I get it in the Middle East, where that can get you beheaded. … The memo that went out to everybody went out to all of us the same, which is: If you are a sport person, stick to sports, don’t get involved in the political arena.
“In the end for me, it felt like that rule applied to me and me alone because I was conservative,” he said.
Schilling told WEEI that he plans on finding a new home to talk sports.
“I’ve talked to different people over the last couple of days,” Schilling said. “I think that my next place in life is going to be — I want to talk sports, I want to talk baseball and hockey and football. I also want to talk about stuff that moves the needle and I think I am going to be allowed to do that in a place and a forum that I’ll be comfortable with.”
