There’s just so much wrong here. Essentially, this ESPN columnist is saying you have a right to be a Christian and you have a right to be a football coach. Just not both at the same time.
I feel weird even linking to this kind of asshattery because to guys like this, you give him hits, you are simply asking him for more asshattery.
ESPN:
The Cornhuskers assistant coach recently testified in front of the Omaha (Neb.) City Council that gays, lesbians and transgender people shouldn’t receive anti-discrimination protection under a proposed ordinance. He is considering testifying on May 7 in front of the Lincoln City Council, which will conduct a public hearing on proposed legislation that would prohibit discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity.
None of this would matter if Brown were an ordinary citizen with an extraordinary belief in his interpretation of the Bible’s position on homosexuality. That belief led him to compare the sponsors of the Omaha ordinance to Pontius Pilate and to tell The Associated Press “that based on the Bible, homosexuality, the lifestyle of homosexuality, is a sin.”
But Brown isn’t an ordinary citizen. He is a coach at a public university and for a revered football program whose reach stretches from Omaha to Scottsbluff. When he speaks, his words carry more power because of his association with Nebraska football.
It was no accident that when Brown spoke to the Omaha City Council he listed his address as Nebraska’s Memorial Stadium. And there is no separation of church and state on Brown’s Nebraska football office voice message:
“I praise the Lord Jesus Christ for today. I hope you’re having a blessed day. Not able to answer my phone right now. Give me a try back and Lord willing, I’ll get back to you as soon as possible. Have a great day.”
Brown, as well as Nebraska athletic director Tom Osborne, has said that Brown’s city council testimony reflected only the assistant coach’s personal views. But those views were made by an employee of a public university that receives 42 percent of its funding from the federal government and state appropriations.
It is also a university that prides itself on inclusion, whose Office of Equity, Access and Diversity Programs features the school’s non-discrimination statement. And there in that statement, in boldface type, by the way, is this: “It is the policy of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln not to discriminate based upon age, race, ethnicity, color, national origin, gender, sex, pregnancy, disability, sexual orientation, genetic information, veteran’s status, marital status, religion or political affiliation.”
Brown clearly doesn’t support policies that provide anti-discrimination protection to gays and lesbians. And yet he represents that university as a football coach in one of the nation’s most recognized programs?…
Gene Wojciechowski of ESPN is all sorts of bothered and bewildered how a believing Christian could possibly work at a public university. Check out this priceless quote:
In other words, Brown can continue to call gays and lesbians “sinners,” and then report to work the next morning.
Brown, the coach, has previously retorted by saying, “To be fired for my faith would be a greater honor than to be fired because we didn’t win enough games.”
This made poor Gene lose his white knuckled grip on reality and he calls for Tom Obsborne, the athletic director, to fire Brown:
So Brown would be a willing martyr. And if he continues to confuse faith with a person’s fundamental right not to be discriminated against, then Perlman and Osborne should fire him. Because while his religious beliefs are his own — and his opinions protected under the First Amendment — Brown remains a representative of a university whose core values stress the “diversity of ideas and people.”
Brown has the absolute right to express his views. But at what point do those views bleed into the workplace? It’s a small thing, but Brown’s office voice message is proudly nonsecular. And Nebraska head coach Bo Pelini has said that Brown discusses religion with his players, but, according to the AP, no team member has complained.
This lunatic can’t stand that Brown says “God bless” on his phone message. He thinks that’s evidence to be presented for his dismissal.
Gene, you see, says that if you think homosexual acts are sinful then you’re guilty of discrimination. He writes, “Discrimination is discrimination. It isn’t a buffet line where Brown can pick and choose who can be protected from it. It is repugnant in all forms.”
Hey Gene, the Bill of Rights isn’t a buffet line either. You can’t pick and choose who gets what rights. As of now, Christians still have a right to be Christian in public.
