Curt Schilling fired by ESPN over transgender post

Curt Schilling finally got what it seems like he was asking for.

ESPN announced in a brief statement issued late Tuesday that it had “terminated” the former pitcher turned commentator.

“ESPN is an inclusive company. Curt Schilling has been advised that his conduct was unacceptable and his employment with ESPN has been terminated,” the company said in a statement.

Schilling has been in hot water since Monday over his Facebook activity. Schilling shared a photo on Facebook of a transgender image and added commentary indicating men’s bathrooms should only be used for people with penises. It’s clear Schilling disagrees with those who say people should be allowed to use the bathroom by whatever gender they identify with.

In comments to Boston.com, Schilling said he was truly “blindsided” by all the attention to his Facebook post.

He also defended his Facebook post in a blog post entitled “The Hunt to be Offended.”

“Let’s make one thing clear right up front,” he wrote. “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 looking picture. I made a comment about the basic functionality of mens and womens restrooms, period.”

Even if you do not find Schilling’s opinion offensive, the point remains that his strong political opinions create issues for ESPN because it forces the company to address them, and because his opinions reflect them, like it or not.

Just as Schilling has the right to share his opinion, ESPN has the right to fire him for being a poor representative of their company.