College football analyst Craig James was fired by Fox Sports over anti-gay comments he made while he was running for political office in Texas last year. According to the Dallas Morning News , he joined the Fox Sports Southwest team in late August (this year) but was cut loose after just one appearance . A former college football standout at SMU and with the New England Patriots during the 1980s, Craig James went on to be a polarizing analyst for ESPN. He left broadcasting to join the race for an open U.S. Senate seat in Texas in 2011, and the anti-gay remarks came during a primary debate in early 2012. James said that homosexual people would “answer to the Lord for their actions” and claimed that being gay was “a choice,” according to USA Today. He also chastised opponent Tom Leppert for attending a gay pride parade. James placed a distant fourth, WAY behind Leppert, David Dewhurst and Ted Cruz , who went on to win the Senate seat, in the 2012 GOP primary election. As for why the 52-year-old broadcaster was fired now for comments he made on the record, and in a public forum, almost a year and a half ago? “We just asked ourselves how Craig’s statements would play in our human resources department,” an unnamed Fox spokesman told the Morning News . “He couldn’t say those things here.” Citing unnamed sources, Richard Deitsch of Sports Illustrated reported that James’ hiring “had not been fully vetted at the highest levels of Fox Sports management.” “Craig James will not be making any further appearances on Fox Sports Southwest’s football coverage this season,” the Fox Sports spokesperson told Deitsch.
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Craig James: Fired By Fox Sports Over Anti-Gay Comments
