Steven Senne
|
PROVIDENCE,
R.I. - Former Boston Red Sox and Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Curt Schilling
said Friday that the collapse of his 38 Studios video game company has probably
cost him his entire baseball fortune, and he placed part of the blame on Rhode
Island officials, including Gov. Lincoln Chafee.
Schilling
said during a 90-minute interview on WEEI-FM in Boston that he put more than
$50 million of his own money in the company and that he's had to tell his
family that "the money I saved during baseball was probably all
gone."
Schilling
said he hopes to return to work soon as an analyst for ESPN. He took a leave of
absence from the network after 38 Studios filed for bankruptcy protection on
June 7. The firm was lured to Providence from Massachusetts in 2010 after Rhode
Island offered a $75 million loan guarantee. The state is working to determine
how much it's on the hook for after the company's collapse.
While
he conceded that he "absolutely" was part of the reason the company
failed, he said public comments made by Chafee last month questioning the
firm's solvency were harmful as the firm tried -- but failed -- to raise
private capital to stay afloat.
"I
think he had an agenda," Schilling said about Chafee.
Chafee
vocally opposed the state's loan guarantee to 38 Studios when he was running
for governor in 2010. But after it was a done deal, he was the company's
"biggest cheerleader," Chafee spokeswoman Christine Hunsinger said
Friday. She had no other immediate comments on Schilling's interview.
Schilling
also accused Chafee of failing to work with an investor who was willing to put
$15 million to $20 million into the company to help it succeed. He said the
investor walked away because of Chafee's inaction.
38
Studios laid off its entire workforce , nearly 300 employees in Providence and
more in Maryland , last month. That move came after it was more than two weeks
late on a $1.1 million payment to the state; officials have said that was the
first indication the company was in financial trouble.
The
firm had sought millions of dollars in tax credits from Rhode Island as it
struggled to stay afloat, but Schilling said Friday that he wasn't looking for
a bailout.
State
and federal authorities, meanwhile, are investigating 38 Studios' finances.
Citizens Bank also has sued Schilling to recover $2.4 million in loans it made
to 38 Studios.
Schilling,
who also pitched for Baltimore, Houston, Philadelphia and Arizona, won the
World Series three times and is perhaps best remembered for pitching Game 6 of
the 2004 American League Championship Series with an injured ankle that stained
his sock with blood.
Schilling
said he hasn't done anything wrong. He said he never took any money from the
company, not even a salary. He said the company was close to succeeding but
just couldn't raise enough private capital. He also said he never intended to
hurt the firm's workers.
"It's
been kind of a surreal 60 days or 65 days," Schilling said. "It's
crushing and devastating to see it fail the way it did."
Schilling
was asked how the company's collapse has affected him personally.
"I
don't know. ... It's not over yet," he said. "I would imagine the
next foreseeable time in our lives is going to be consumed by this. It's a
life-changing thing."
But
he added, "I'm not asking for sympathy. It was my choice."
The
Associated Press
No comments:
Post a Comment