Craig James, who was fired by Fox Sports Southwest just a day after starting his new gig as a college football analyst there, has retained the services of Plano-based Liberty Legal Institute. That nonprofit religious liberty group is probably best known for its now decade-long fight for the rights of a third-grader to hand out candy canes in the name of Jesus at school.
Liberty has sent a letter to Fox demanding that James be rehired and that all documents related to his termination be handed over, as a possible prelude to a lawsuit. The group argues:
On Monday, September 2, FOX Sports announced that it was terminating Craig James because of his religious beliefs. Referencing comments that Craig James made regarding his religious beliefs during his Senate campaign, a FOX spokesperson said
“We just asked ourselves how Craig’s statements would play in our human resources department. He couldn’t say those things here.”
Craig James believes that he, as a Christian, is called to love everyone regardless of their sexual orientation. Craig James simply wants to receive the same tolerance for his religious beliefs that he himself practices towards others.
The decision to terminate Craig James because of Mr. James’s religious beliefs is a severe violation of Mr. James’s religious liberty, protected by Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and an affront to all Americans who cherish that bedrock principle of American freedom. The actions have also led to the breach of Craig James’s contract and the impugnment of his character. We demand the immediate reinstatement Mr. James to the on-air college football analyst position for which Mr. James had originally been hired. If you refuse to reinstate Mr. James, millions of Americans will be left with the impression that you do not respect religious liberty and Liberty Institute will be forced to pursue subsequent legal options.
