Yankees Fire Employee After Schilling Calls Out Vulgar Tweeters
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- The New York Yankees have fired a part-time employee for allegedly posting offensive comments about Curt Schilling's 17-year-old daughter on Twitter.
Schilling, the former Boston Red Sox pitcher, went on the offensive Sunday after receiving several "vulgar and defiling" sexually charged responses to his tweet congratulating his daughter, Gabby, for being accepted to Salve Regina University in Rhode Island.
Schilling posted screen shots to his website, specifically pointing out two users. One was Sean MacDonald, a Montclair State University alum who was promptly shown the door after being hired by the Yankees in January.
A Yankees spokesman told CBS2's Dave Carlin the organization's "zero tolerance" resulted in the man being "terminated from his position."
Yankees public relations chief Jason Zillo told NJ.com that the part-time ticket salesman logged less than 20 hours in four days of work. MacDonald also faces "disciplinary actions" from his fraternity, Theta Xi. He was vice president of the Montclair University chapter.
"The member is no longer an officer in the chapter, and has since graduated," Theta Xi said in a statement. "Take note, we hold all members regardless of student status accountable to our policies. There are consequences for inappropriate behavior, even for college graduates."
CBS2 tried to find MacDonald at a Middletown, New Jersey, address Tuesday, but no one was home.
The other tweeter, Adam Nagel, was suspended from his studies at Brookdale Community College in New Jersey and will be subject to a conduct hearing, according to NJ.com.
"Brookdale takes this behavior very seriously and does not tolerate any form of harassment," the school said in a statement.
"Our sincerest apologies to Gabby Schilling. Her achievement should be celebrated and not clouded by offensive comments."
On his blog, Schilling said, "Guys will say dumb crap, often. But I can't ever remember, drunk, in a clubhouse, with best friends, with anyone, ever speaking like this to someone."
"This is a generation of kids who have grown up behind the monitor and keyboard," he added. "The real world has consequences when you do and say things about others. We're at a point now where you better be sure who you're going after."
Both men's Twitter accounts appear to have been deleted. But Schilling promises to keep the comments alive as a warning for people to be more responsible when online.
Karl Romain, an expert on cyberbullying, applauded Schilling's response and said there should be criminal charges.
"That's a clear threat, and it can lead to kids wanting to commit suicide," he said.
Some New Yorkers agreed the tweets crossed the line.
"There should be no place for that online," William Lane, of the Bronx, told Carlin.
"Digusting," one woman added. "There should be more control over everything that has to do with the Internet."
