Following a controversial tweet posted last week, ESPN has elected to remove Curt Schilling from his duties as a network baseball analyst for the remainder of the regular season and a portion of the playoffs.
Last Tuesday, Schilling posted a tweet that contained an image comparing the percentage of extremists in the Muslim population to the percentage of Nazis in Germany during 1940. The alleged statistics comparing the two groups were laid over a photo of Adolf Hitler. The former Major League pitcher later deleted the tweet and apologized, but the damage was already done.
Here is an official statement from ESPN regarding the suspension:
At all times during the course of their engagement with us, our commentators are directly linked to ESPN and are the face of our brand. We are a sports media company. Curt’s actions have not been consistent with his contractual obligations nor have they been professionally handled; they have obviously not reflected well on the company. As a result, he will not appear on ESPN through the remainder of the regular season and our Wild Card playoff game.
This wasn’t the first time Schilling posted something controversial about Muslims but, after the recent backlash, it might be the last.
(Via The Hollywood Reporter)
