Former MLB Pitcher Curt Schilling Says He Won't Run for Congress in Arizona

Former Major League Baseball pitcher Curt Schilling won't run for Congress after all. 

"The things that have been said and done to my wife and kids since I announced interest in running" are not worth it, Schilling said of a potential run for Congress in Arizona in 2020 during an interview with 98.7 FM Arizona Sports Station‘s John Gambadoro (h/t Kevin Stone of KTAR News 92.3).

Stone noted Schilling, a vocal conservative, previously said he was considering running, which drew a presidential response:

The former pitcher also previously considered running for Congress against Sen. Elizabeth Warren in Massachusetts but chose otherwise.

Arizona and Massachusetts make sense from his perspective considering he spent much of his baseball career on the Arizona Diamondbacks and Boston Red Sox. He won the 2001 World Series with the Diamondbacks and the 2004 and 2007 World Series on the Red Sox and is largely considered one of the best postseason pitchers in league history.

However, he has been embroiled in controversy since walking away from the game.

Jesse Yomtov of USA Today detailed some of the most notable incidents, including when Schilling compared Muslims to Nazis, suggested a shirt advocating for lynching journalists was "awesome," was fired from ESPN for posting an offensive meme about transgender rights and engaged in conspiracy theories about the Clinton family.