Curt Schilling calls out ESPN for hypocrisy after firing

Curt Schilling joined the show to discuss getting fired from ESPN. Schilling told Dan he was making $2,5 million per year and he wouldn’t rule out legal action. Here are some of Schilling’s remarks…

DP: How are you?
CS: I’m fired.

DP: Did you expect it?
CS: No.  Not when this happened. I didn’t until they made me drive two hours to meet with an HR person. So I assumed that was the slow walk to the guillotine. I actually didn’t bring my work clothes to work that day. Kind of figured I knew what was coming but they called me in because they wanted to hear my side of the story. And I was like wait, what. Why would there be multiple sides to this story? So I think the only irony in all of this for me is that a company that is outwardly bigoted and intolerant  is calling itself inclusive. I don’t have to tell you what’s going on around there. I’m sad that it ended because of the people I worked with. Other than that I guess it was meant to be

DP: Why are you calling ESPN bigoted?
CS: They send out memos [stating] we want out sports people and talent to stick to sports and stay away from politics and all the other stuff. The next day Stephen A. [Smith] tells people Robert Griffin can’t play quarterback because he’s black, not because he sucks. Which was because he sucks. You’ve got [Dan] Le Batard, you’ve got Tony Kornheiser comparing the tea party to Isis. And so what I think the memo meant to say was if you’re not liberal and you’re not a democrat do not stray from sports. I get it to some extent. But I’m not doing this openly and outwardly  anymore — this is something I’m commenting on. … A lot of times people would be like you know come up to and whisper, hey man, I’m with you, I’m a Republican. As if we were the secret card carrying members of some group, — those that shall not be named. But the inclusiveness is inclusive as long as you’re point in the same direction as they are. Otherwise it’s a problem.

DP: Could you not help yourself?
CS: Help myself what Dan? Tell me what you think I did that should of gotten me fired.

DP: I think you were on double-secret probation whether you knew it or not.
CS: Oh yeah, always.

DP: So you knew where this could head.
CS: So tell me. I want you to tell me what did I do in your opinion that I shouldn’t have done that was a fireable offense. Not in your opinion but in the grand scheme of this whole thing if you’re ESPN.

DP: I think it was that you had opinions. But in maybe the description of your opinions is what they couldn’t tolerate any longer. And the reaction to it.
CS: Well that’s not me, that’s other people. …. I got fired for things that people thought I said or things  people perceived I was, none of which was true. But Disney is 100 percent about perception.

DP:  But you knew how it was being received.
CS: Hold on a second. How long have you known me?

DP: Twenty-something years.
CS: Twenty years. Have you ever known me to sit back and say, wait before I say this let me measure it out and make sure that it will be received in the way it should be received. I’m not a measured speaker. I have never been. I was told one of the reasons they hired me is that they liked the fact that I was opinionated and that I spoke my opinion, whether it went against the grain or not. And that was the case until I started speaking an opinion that they didn’t agree with.

DP: But were they talking about baseball or politics?
CS: Obviously they weren’t talking politics because I got fired for talking it. But again, I was talking about it on my Facebook page that was for people that were quote un-quote  friending me on Facebook. This wasn’t in public. Part of this was, and I’m not trying to sound like a victim, but somebody was out to make sure that everybody saw the thing that I posted. This one did …. and people might laugh about this … but this one did catch me by surprise. In the sense that if you look at the meme that I reposted, which you really can’t unseen once you see it. But I made a comment about the functionality of men and women restrooms. I didn’t comment about transgenders. I don’t care. I’ve never cared. As long as you’re not sleeping with my wife I don’t care who you sleep with. That became something like the two other situations it became way more than it ever was. I didn’t do and say the things that they thought I did. You know how I know that Dan is I don’t have a racist bone in my body. I never have. At this age given where I’ve been and what I’ve done I think if I did it would be a public thing. The other thing is people who are actually racist and homophobic actually will admit that they are racist and homophobic by the things that they say and do . My son is a big part of that community, my youngest son. I don’t care. Doesn’t matter to me.

DP: What do you mean part of that community?
CS: He is actively involved in the LGBT community. And it is a very important thing to him. And you know I’ve had kids who are transgendered, I’ve had kids that are all sexual preferences at 15, 16, 17 [years old] coming in and out of my house. I don’t care, they’re good kids. I’ve never ever cared. And anybody that knows me knows that. This what I’d tell you when you’re in a place where people are calling you things you know you are not …. you know that the wires got crossed really badly somewhere. …  Listen I was making $2.5 million a year. The job I had wasn’t, I didn’t have to have to put food on the table and a roof over my families head. Because maybe I act differently if that’s the case. But I’m in a  place and time in my life where I’m sick and tired of looking at people that really honestly believe  were spineless not being able to be who they are. Not spineless that’s not the right word but they’re not in a position to speak their mind because they’re afraid of the vocal minority. And that’s not me. That’ll never be me.

 

 

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