Fired sports broadcaster Craig James

Commentary by Susan Brinkmann, OCDS

A lawsuit has been filed against Fox Sports on behalf of Craig James, a well-known former NFL player and college football analyst who was fired from his on-air position in 2013 because of his views on gay marriage.

According to the Liberty Institute, a law firm dedicated to restoring religious liberty in America and who is representing James, the former New England Patriots running back was hired by Fox Sports Southwest on August 30, 2013.

At the time, Executive Producer Mike Anastassiou said, “We’re excited to add Craig to the FOX Sports Southwest team . . . He’s a talented broadcaster who I’ve admired throughout his career. His knowledge of college football and the experience he brings as an analyst will be a tremendous asset to our coverage.”

James appeared on the air for the first time on August 31. The following day, he was abruptly fired.

What did he do wrong?

Nothing, except that he expressed strong feelings about the biblical concept of marriage during an unsuccessful senate campaign a year earlier. When asked a question about his position on same-sex marriage while on the campaign trail, James said: “I’m a guy that believes in a man and a woman,” and urged Christians to “stand up” on the issue.

This didn’t sit well with the PC police inside Fox Sports.

“We just asked ourselves how Craig’s statements would play in our human resources department,” said a Fox spokesman at the time. “He couldn’t say those things here.”

However, James never said those things during his brief tenure at Fox Sports.

“This is very troubling as an employee when your boss holds against you something you said about your belief system nearly eighteen months before you were recruited and hired,” James told Breitbart Sports in an exclusive interview. “I said nothing about my belief system on the air at Fox Sports. So, the fact that they reached back in my past nearly eighteen months and responded to a comment about my biblical belief in natural marriage as a candidate—that’s troubling.”

It’s also illegal.

In March, 2014, the Texas Workforce Commission issued a Charge of Discrimination against Fox Sports Southwest for the firing of James after Liberty Institute filed a complaint on his behalf.

On August 3, 2015, Liberty Institute took it a step further and filed a lawsuit against the organization. The suit alleges that Fox Sports fired James for one reason only – his religious beliefs about marriage. – and in doing so, violated the law.

“Specifically, Fox Sports violated the Texas Commission on Human Rights Act (“TCHRA”) and Texas contract law along with a myriad of equitable principles,” says a Fact Sheet about the case on the Liberty Institute website.

“With twenty-four years of experience as a sports broadcaster, Craig James was eminently qualified for his job at Fox Sports,” says Jeff Mateer, Liberty Institute General Counsel.

“He wasn’t fired over his performance – he was fired because he talked about his faith outside the workplace even before he was hired. By firing James, Fox is essentially putting all of its employees on notice, telling them that if they talk about their faith at any time, they can be fired. That is the very definition of unlawful religious discrimination.”

This is indeed what happened and Fox Sports execs weren’t trying to hide it. James told Breitbart shortly after he was fired that he was shocked that his personal religious beliefs were not only the reason why Fox fired him, “but I was completely floored when I read stories quoting Fox Sports representatives essentially saying that people of faith are banned from working at Fox Sports. That is not right and surely someone made a terrible mistake.”

Apparently, they did make a terrible mistake and may soon be paying for it in a court of law.

“This case is much bigger than me,” James said yesterday after the suit was filed. “It affects every person who holds religious beliefs. I will not let Fox Sports trample my religious liberty. Today, many people have lost their jobs because of their faith. Sadly, countless are afraid to let their bosses know they even have a faith. This is America and I intend to make sure Fox Sports knows they aren’t above the law.”

His attorney agrees, calling Fox’s behavior “the ultimate intolerance” and vowing that they “will not stand by and allow Fox’s actions to go unpunished.”

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