Curt Schilling was a popular man, a hero of sorts among Boston sports fans. In Game 6 of the 2004 American League Championship Series, he appeared on the mound against the Sox’s bitter rivals the Yankees with what appeared to be red spots of blood on his sock covering his right ankle, which he had injured in the previous series. He pitched almost perfectly that game, allowing one run in seven spectacular innings. One game later, the Red Sox routed the Yankees to overcome a 3-0 deficit, completing what some consider the greatest playoff series ever. In that game more than any other, Schilling’s determination and stubborn refusal to give up shone through. The Red Sox went on to win the World Series, and in that moment, the man who would go on to be a six-time MLB all-star, three-time World Series champion and one-time World Series Most Valuable Player was immortalized as a hero in MLB history.

Unfortunately, Schilling’s stubborn refusal to succumb to common opinion has persisted into his analyst and folk hero days. Schilling recently posted a tweet depicting an overweight caricature of a man dressed in drag, carrying a purse and sporting a golden wig with holes cut out of his shirt to expose his breasts with the caption “Let him in! To the restroom with your daughter or else you’re a narrow minded, judgmental, unloving, racist bigot who needs to die!!!”

This was hardly the former star pitcher’s first offense. On the 25th of August, 2015, Schilling posted another tactless tweet comparing the danger of Muslims today to that of the German population that was subjected to the Nazi regime in the 1930s. In an especially curt statement on its website, ESPN stated that it was an “inclusive company,” and that “Schilling has been advised that his conduct was unacceptable and his employment with ESPN has been terminated.” Since then, Schilling has not shown any shred of remorse for his actions. Instead, he took angrily to his blog “38 Pitches” to rant to those who are just “dying to be offended so you can create some faux cause to rally behind.”

Schilling lamely attempted to defend and justify his actions in a long, drawn out rant, trying to make it as clear as possible that “if you get offended by ANYTHING in this post, that’s your fault, all yours.” He also tried to cover his tracks by stating that his opinions were shared by many others. However, Schilling himself added to the tweet that “a man is a man no matter what they call themselves. I don’t care what they are, who they sleep with, men’s room was designed for the penis, women’s not so much. Now you need laws telling us differently? Pathetic.”

Rather than apologize, Schilling posted his angry, vindictive tirade one day before ESPN terminated his employment. He called out the “fraudulent media folks” as “lazy ass ‘don’t want to work for a story’ clowns.” He emphasized that anything he tweeted, posted, or shared was his opinion and his opinion only. Indeed, Schilling has the absolute and fundamental right to free speech and therefore, may be allowed to say whatever comes across his mind.

However, his critics likewise have the right to respond to his opinions – positively or negatively – and ESPN then has the same freedom to decide what their brand represents and the right to determine what is said on their far-reaching platform. It’s not easy for a hero to fall so far from such great heights. Patience can only last so long. Not long ago, Schilling stated in a Kansas City radio interview that “[Hillary Clinton] should be buried under a jail somewhere.” In 2012, his video game company 38 Studios closed down, leaving hundreds unemployed and defaulting a $75 million loan from the Rhode Island government, according to “The New Yorker.” No amount of bloody socks is going to excuse his constant, obnoxious bigotry.

In a rather ironic twist, a meme posted by Schilling’s Facebook page depicted the coat of a decorated officer with the caption: “Don’t look at the back of a jersey. Look at the chest of a veteran.” He’s right. Sometimes childhood heroes and star athletes post nonsensical, thoughtless pictures on social media. We’re often remembered by our words or a choice quote here and there. The recently departed Yogi Berra provided no shortage of pithy quotes, including the famous mantra that “it ain’t over till it’s over.” Babe Ruth, among the greatest baseball players of all time, told us to “never let the fear of striking out get in your way.” Schilling, on the other hand, will be remembered by words significantly less respectable: “I have opinions, but they’re just that, opinions,” he wrote. “And opinions are like buttholes, everyone has one and they usually stink.”