NEW YORK (CBS) Former professional NBA player Paul Shirley has some choice advice for the victims of the 7.0 earthquake that rocked Haiti: “use a condom once in a while” and stop building “shack-towns.”
Photo: Paul Shirley.
The outrageous comments were part of a blog post Shirley wrote which explained why he wouldn’t be giving a single “cent” to the victims.
Shirley might be wise to save his pennies. ESPN fired him from his part-time contributor post as soon as word of the comments spread.
“The views he expressed on another site of course do not at all reflect our company’s views on the Haiti relief efforts. He will no longer contribute to ESPN,” a statement from the network read.
Photo: Port-au-Prince, Haiti Jan. 21, 2010.
As the number of estimated dead from the devastating Jan. 12 earthquake reached 200,000, Shirley took to the Internet and suggested that much of the responsibility for the disaster “lie with the victims of that disaster…”
Shirley wrote his comments on flipcollective.com, a website that bills itself as a “group of writers with topics to discuss, ideas to share, and stories to tell.”
And tell he did.
“I haven’t donated a cent to the Haitian relief effort. And I probably will not,” Shirley wrote on the site.
The baller compared sending relief money to giving money to homeless people on the street.
“I haven’t donated to the Haitian relief effort for the same reason that I don’t give money to homeless men on the street. Based on past experiences, I don’t think the guy with the sign that reads “Need You’re Help” is going to do anything constructive with the dollar I might give him. If I use history as my guide, I don’t think the people of Haiti will do much with my money either,” Shirley typed.
Photo: Pat Robertson.
But that was not enough for the man of many opinions, who decided to write a mock-letter to the victims.
It reads:
Dear Haitians –
First of all, kudos on developing the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere. Your commitment to human rights, infrastructure, and birth control should be applauded.
As we prepare to assist you in this difficult time, a polite request: If it’s possible, could you not re-build your island home in the image of its predecessor? Could you not resort to the creation of flimsy shanty- and shack-towns? And could some of you maybe use a condom once in a while?
Sincerely,
The Rest of the World
Shirley’s musings come after a number of other controversial comments were made in the wake of the national disaster.
Pat Robertson, the American Christian televangelist and host of “The 700 Club,” said that Haitians need to have a “great turning to god” while he was reporting on the devastating 7.0 earthquake that shook the island nation.
Ever-controversial radio talk Rush Limbaugh advised his listeners not to donate to Haitian relief through the fund set up by the White House because, said Limbaugh, you’ll probably just end up on an Obama campaign mailing list.
Shirley still plays professional basketball in Spain.
WHAT DO YOU THINK? Were Shirley’s comments on Haiti reprehensible or sensible?
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This person is a true piece of trash.
Perhaps this pro basketball player could make a trip to Haiti himself, and stand on a box making these comments.
Stupid coward is all the way over the Atlantic.
Of course Haiti needs some form of Birth Control, but commentary like his breeds hate- sort of like the anger that I feel towards him right now.
this person is seeking attention.
Paul Shirley Haiti – The 6’10” blogger published a scathing denunciation of Haitian earthquake relief efforts on FlipCollective.com. His stance did not gel with employer ESPN. He was fired for his comments-should have been beaten with a stick instead, then fired.
“I haven’t donated a cent to the Haitian relief effort,” Shirley wrote on Tuesday. “And I probably will not.” Shirley went on, “Shouldn’t much of the responsibility for the disaster lie with the victims of the disaster?”
Sounds a lot like the views of an old televangelist we know.
“How could humans do this to themselves,” Shirley continues. Sports blog The Big Lead points out “Shirley’s words were inexplicably ignorant.” Haitians “weren’t given a choice.” On Wednesday, ESPN released a brief statement announcing Shirley’s views “do not at all reflect our company’s views on the Haiti relief efforts. He will no longer contribute to ESPN.”
I suggest you go hide somewhere with your meager intellect.
If this scum was in my employ and he made this comment, perhaps he would have lost more than his job. This man should find himself wrapped up in a nasty legal battle, or perhaps even better yet, he should find himself living on the street with no food or clothing.
If I see you on the street, I would not even give you the spit in the back of my throat.
Paul Shirley-Coward Former Sports Blogger- do the world a favor and practice some good advice and find a rock and beat yourself with it. Now that you lost the only job that gave you a voice, you can go on living like none of us give a damn what you think or have to say. Go on and become a forgotton blip of negativity and BIGOTRY. Worm.