New York Post Sportswriter Claims He Was Fired For Anti-Trump Tweet

A sportswriter for the New York Post claims that he was fired on Friday because of an anti-Trump tweet.

Bart Hubbuch, a columnist and NFL reporter for the paper, posted a new tweet on Monday with his explanation for his sudden termination:

Last Friday, I was fired by the New York Post for tweeting on my own time seven days earlier my personal belief that Donald Trump becoming President of the United States is a national tragedy.

The tweet that led to his dismissal appeared on the day of Trump’s inauguration. It compared that event with two of the worst days in American history: the attacks on Pearl Harbor and the World Trade Center.

Hubbuch has since deleted the tweet, but a screengrab appears below:

Hubbuch later sent out an apology tweet, also since deleted, calling the comparison of Trump’s inauguration to 9/11 “insensitive and wrong.” He added, “I shouldn’t have done it,” according to Philly.com.

Contacted by The Huffington Post, Hubbuch declined to comment further. “Unfortunately, I can’t say anything more than my pinned tweet at this time.”

The New York Post confirmed that Hubbuch was no longer employed there in a statement to ProFootballTalk.com. The statement suggested that the sportswriter’s tweet was not the sole reason for the paper’s decision:

“We expect our reporters to interact with the public, including on social media, in a professional manner,” the Post said in a statement sent to PFT. “Unfortunately, Mr. Hubbuch has engaged in a pattern of unprofessional conduct and exhibited serious lack of judgment, including most recently showing disrespect for the victims of Pearl Harbor and 9/11.”

Back in September, Hubbuch temporarily deleted his Twitter account due to backlash over another post, according to AwfulAnnoucing.com. The earlier tweet said, “Totally not-shocking fact: The Patriots have never had a black QB start a game in their 57-year history. Jacoby Brissett would be the first.”

The New York Post is owned by News Corporation, the same company that owns Fox News. Founder Rupert Murdoch reportedly has close ties to Trump.