Could Curt Schilling’s political beliefs cost him the Hall of Fame?

Curt Schilling’s political beliefs could prevent him from getting the necessary votes to receive induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame.

The 2021 Baseball Hall of Fame class will be unveiled on MLB Network on Jan. 26, and to say this ballot is controversial is an understatement. The usual names like Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens are still on the list, but are unlikely to break the 75-percent threshold to receive induction. The belief was that pitcher Curt Schilling had the best chance of getting the necessary votes, but one thing could be holding him back.

His political beliefs.

According to Matt Spiegel of 670AM in Chicago, there are National Baseball Hall-of-Fame voters who have reached out to Cooperstown to make changes to their votes with the purpose of removing Schilling from their ballots altogether after he supported the riots on the U.S Capitol on Jan. 6.

Schilling no stranger to controversy

Back on Jan. 6, a mob of Donald Trump supporters stormed Capitol Hill after the now-former President of the United States baselessly claimed that the election was stolen from him, even though there was no evidence of massive voter fraud. The rioters attempted their act of sedition shortly after attending a Trump rally to try and prevent Congress from officially certifying the results. That resulted in the deaths of five individuals, one of whom was Capitol Police officer Brian Sicknick.

Schilling, a Trump supporter, took to Twitter on that day to express his support for what he called a “confrontation.” In that same breath, Schilling condemned this past summer’s protests for social justice.

This isn’t the first time that Schilling has posted controversial things on his social media accounts. In the past, Schilling posted numerous memes to disparage Muslim and LGBTQ communities. Additionally, the former pitcher proudly expressed his support of a T-shirt that called for the lynching of journalists.

Schilling may have been a six-time All-Star and a three-time World Series champion, but the voters have taken offense to his support over the attack on American democracy two weeks ago. Let’s not forget that there’s a character clause in the voting rules. The Baseball Hall of Fame’s official website states, “voting shall be based upon the player’s record, playing ability, integrity, sportsmanship, character, and contributions to the team(s) on which the player played.”

Hence why those voters are looking to take Schilling’s name off their ballot in his ninth year of eligibility.