I figured this was coming. It took a little while though.
On the Friday edition of WFAN’s Boomer & Carton radio show, former NFL quarterback Boomer Esiason apologized for “insensitive comments” he made about Mets second baseman Daniel Murphy. Murphy exercised his collective bargained right as a player to take paternity leave to be with his wife Tori in Florida following the birth of their son Noah.
Murphy was given grief, most notably by Esiason and a few other sports-mouthed morons, for missing time away from the Mets.
In April.
During the first week of the season.
Here were Esiason’s exact comments earlier this week.
“Bottom line, that’s not me,” Esiason said on his morning radio show. “I wouldn’t do that. Quite frankly, I would have said ‘C-section before the season starts. I need to be at Opening Day. I’m sorry, this is what makes our money, this is how we’re going to live our life, this is going to give my child every opportunity to be a success in life.’”
Yes! Just have a C-section! Rip that kid out of the womb, there is Mets baseball to be played! How dare Murphy miss an 0-3 start, blown opportunities for victory and another Mets bullpen implosion for the birth of his offspring! Kids come along often but a Mets loss, well, that only happens like 88-90 times a summer.
Esiason back-tracked on his statement today and issued an apology.
“I was not telling women what to do with their bodies. I would never do that. That’s their decision, that’s their life and they know their bodies better than I do,” Esiason said on the air. “And the other thing, too, that I really felt bad about is that Daniel Murphy and Tori Murphy were dragged into the conversation, and their whole life was exposed. And it shouldn’t have been.
Actually, that’s exactly what you were telling her to do, but at least you had decency to apologize… when the world turned against you, your employer probably gave you hell and after you probably caught hell from the mother of your two children when you got home.
As a frequent listener of the show, and usually an Esiason ally, Boomer’s comments shocked or more than offended me. This is the father of two — with one kid who Esiason has spent decades raising money on behalf of in the fight against cystic fibrosis — and usually spot on with his opinions on players and their lives outside sport.
As a father of two myself, and the husband of a woman who had two C-sections, Esiason’s comments were horrendously moronic. I would miss game 7 of the World Series to see the birth of either of my kids and a C-section is MAJOR SURGERY so Murphy’s wife would need even more help considering she wouldn’t be physically able (or allowed) to lift the baby, move too much, climb steps or drive a car. Actually, she milked that “no driving” rule long after she healed.
I took a week off for each kid, because I’m allowed by law, just like Daniel Murphy. In a couple years, when the Mets are done with his services and cast him off with the rest big leaguers no longer able to perform at a high level (the Mets high level is slightly less than .500) Murphy will be left with only his family and few fond memories of his time in the big leagues.
I’m positive the birth of his son will pop into his mind way more often than a three game sweep in April.
Boomer Esiason offers up apology after dragging Mets’ Daniel Murphy and wife into paternity leave conversation [NY Daily News]