Curt Schilling is not a man unaware of his environment.
As an ESPN MLB analyst, and perhaps one of two (maybe?) outspoken and openly conservative on-air employees at the Bristol-based giant, Schilling took a humorous outlook on the fragility of his employment at ESPN in a recently released FEC filing.
In the employer section of his $250 contribution to Ben Carson in September of 2015, Schilling wrote:
“ESPN (not sure how much longer)”
According to the Daily News:
“The former Red Sox pitcher’s self-deprecating joke came just a week after he was suspended for a tweet that equated Muslim extremists to Nazis.
On Sept. 3, two days after his donation, he was officially removed from ESPN broadcasts for the rest of the season.”
“The Federal Election Commission campaign contribution listings, which were discovered by Baseball Prospectus’ Meg Rowley Tuesday night, also include a $2,300 donation to John McCain in 2008 — Schilling was still pitching for the Boston Red Sox at the time — and a 2010 donation of $2,400 to Scott Brown — Schilling listed his employer as 38 Studios, his failed video game company.
A Jan. 8, 2016 contribution, another $250 to Carson, simply listed ESPN as his employer.
Most recently, Schilling has come under fire for saying that Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton should be “buried under a jail” on a Kansas City radio show earlier in the month.
He also said that an ESPN memo warning its on-air talent not to talk about politics ended up in his spam folder.”
Ironically, “not sure how much longer” turned out to be a pretty accurate prediction for the Carson campaign. Though, Schilling’s tenure at ESPN outlasted his candidate of choice in the Presidential race. The fact that Schilling continues to do what he’s done and say what he’s said, knowing full well the liberal sports giant could eliminate him at any moment, makes his “speaking truth to power” crusade all the more meaningful.
Bravo.
