Jay Brisco's Anti-Gay Marriage Twitter Post

[Jack-Hammer]

I'm a little surprised that nobody's created a thread discussing this, though maybe not all that many people follow ROH closely. I read about this a few hours ago, first I've heard of it.

Current ROH World Champion, Jay Brisco, is in the midst of some controversy due to comments he made on Twitter recently. Brisco's Tweet reads:

"If that makes you happy, then congratulations!!!...try and teach my kids there's nothing wrong with that and I'll fucking shoot you."

Whether you agree or disagree with gay marriage, writing something like on a platform like Twitter in this day & age is pretty fucking stupid. I don't know the man, so I don't know if he truly would do something like that or not. I personally doubt it but, then again, how can anybody possibly be sure? If he disagrees with gay marriage rights, then he has the right to voice that opinion. When I was a kid, if someone wrote something in which a threat to "shoot" someone was implied, it would, most likely, have been treated as little more than a nonsensical bit of rambling. In this day & age, however, things have changed. In the here & now, people go on shooting rampages in which innocent people, including children, are murdered. I think his Tweet would have been perfectly acceptable had it not contained a potential death threat.

Jay Brisco is the current ROH World Champion. However, these remarks were made via Twitter rather than something he said in front of fans at an ROH wrestling event. Frankly, I think the whole thing will be forgotten about by this time next week, if not sooner. That being said, should ROH hand down some sort of sanction against Brisco or should they just let the thing burn out & simply go on about business as usual?

 

[It's Damn Real!]

ROH already issued the standard "does not represent ROH" response to this earlier:

"Ring of Honor Wrestling respects and appreciates every fan regardless of age, gender, race, religion or sexual preference. The recent post by Jay Briscoe does not represent the views or opinions of Ring of Honor Wrestling, its owners, management or employees."

I'm sure Brisco is not the only one who feels this way, especially in such a macho/bravado sport as pro-wrestling, but most guys keep this sort of ignorance to themselves. Taking to Twitter over it isn't just stupid, it's monumentally stupid. All Brisco is doing with this is drawing serious heat against him, and not the kind that sells tickets — the kind that forces people to stop watching, and stop buying.

I realize Bully Ray went through something similar to this in the last few weeks TNA, which he also apologized for, but the gay rights thing is a media magnet right now. These guys would be wise to recognize that and just be really proactive about watching what they say. They don't live in the same world where they are "entitled" to say what they want. They are entitled to, but they are also public figures who make easy targets and who will be held to a higher standard.

 

[It's...Baylariat!]

It's one thing to agree or disagree with the notion of gay marriage, but to be so homophobic and be on a high platform like being the main champion of a wrestling promotion borders on ignorance.

What this does is jeopardize any chance of him or his tag team partner being in the WWE anytime soon. Intolerance is something the WWE frowns upon with an iron fist and all Jay Brisco has done is had fuel to that fire.

If I were Jim Cornette, I'd either have him take the tweet down or make it into a storyline where he loses the damn title. That's how you solve that problem. It's one thing to have an opinion, it's another to threaten to shoot someone because they want to potentially teach people there's nothing wrong with being gay.

We'll see what happens.

 

[The Dragon Saga]

They've been discussing it in the General ROH Spam Thread.

I've discussed this a lot on my Twitter account with various people and my stance is still the same. He has a right to share his opinion, America has that freedom of speech thing and that is what he was using, but as several Americans have also told me the whole "Freedom of Speech" right has became completely irrelevant because it then becomes another's freedom of speech to denounce your view and say it is wrong.

I'm all for gay marriage but I also realize Jay's background. Why anyone is shocked he is homophobic is beyond me, he wears a confederate flag to the ring and his catchphrase is "Man Up," not to mention a devout Christian and basically an all around redneck. It doesn't make me think any less of him as a person or a wrestler, it's his view and I honestly couldn't care less - everyone is offended by everything these days too.

And ROH's statement was perfect IMO. Jay Briscoe may be the champion but hes not the voice. I also admire that unlike a Kurt Angle or CM Punk he didn't completely back down or apologize for his opinion, he simply apologized for the way he worded his threat of violence.

And people bringing up how "this will set back his chances of going to WWE" need to do some research. Both Briscoes publicly blasted John Laurinitais and WWE in a promo after their last WWE tryout. They also turned down an invitation to a recent tryout. I think their content with what their at.

 

[Thriller Ant]

It's one thing to agree or disagree with the notion of gay marriage, but to be so homophobic and be on a high platform like being the main champion of a wrestling promotion borders on ignorance.

What this does is jeopardize any chance of him or his tag team partner being in the WWE anytime soon. Intolerance is something the WWE frowns upon with an iron fist and all Jay Brisco has done is had fuel to that fire.

If I were Jim Cornette, I'd either have him take the tweet down or make it into a storyline where he loses the damn title. That's how you solve that problem. It's one thing to have an opinion, it's another to threaten to shoot someone because they want to potentially teach people there's nothing wrong with being gay.

We'll see what happens.

Cornette is gone and Jay deleted his Twitter, apparently.

He's always been open on his Twitter, and this is definitely a case of him being too open. When I first read it, the part that seemed like the bigger problem to me (I disagree with the entire tweet, for the record) was the part where he talked about shooting people. Even moreso than the homophobia, guns are a huge issue in America right now.

The worst part for ROH right now is that their TV is taped up until the next iPPV, where Jay defends against his brother, Mark. They are going to have to get really creative or just hope this blows over.

 

[LSN80]

"If that makes you happy, then congratulations!!!...try and teach my kids there's nothing wrong with that and I'll fucking shoot you."

Specifically, what Briscoe was referring to here was Deleware's Senate passing a bill last week allowing gay couples to marry.

Whether you agree or disagree with gay marriage, writing something like on a platform like Twitter in this day & age is pretty fucking stupid.

Especially when you're the World Champion of a wresting organization that has a National Television contract. Even though they're a distant #3 behind WWE and TNA, could you imagine the backlash if this comment was made by John Cena, Dolph Ziggler, or Bully Ray?

There was backlash against Bully Ray, and that was for calling someone in the audience a '******'. Wrong? Sure. But here you have a World Champion threatening to shoot people who would simply teach their child that gay marriage isn't wrong. Not encourage it, not push it, but simply to "teach" it's 'not wrong'.

I don't know the man, so I don't know if he truly would do something like that or not. I personally doubt it but, then again, how can anybody possibly be sure? If he disagrees with gay marriage rights, then he has the right to voice that opinion. When I was a kid, if someone wrote something in which a threat to "shoot" someone was implied, it would, most likely, have been treated as little more than a nonsensical bit of rambling. In this day & age, however, things have changed. In the here & now, people go on shooting rampages in which innocent people, including children, are murdered. I think his Tweet would have been perfectly acceptable had it not contained a potential death threat.

It's disturbing on a number of levels. When one hears "teach", one thinks of the classroom. No doubt, the passing of gay marriage laws allowing homosexuals to marry will eventually become parts of the curriculum, as they're current World events that will shape our future. Would you want to be the teacher here, knowing that you're teaching the child of someone who's threatened to "f*cking shoot" those who would teach there was "nothing wrong with" gay marriage?

Teach your children the way you choose regarding your morals, values, and beliefs regarding subjects such as gay marriage. But when it involves such a divisive issue as gay marriage, the parent is the one who should be teaching their children whether something is wrong or right. If those are your values, pass them down. If you're that worried about your child learning the wrong "lessons", put them in a religious private school that will teach it's wrong.

What values or life lessons are Jay Briscoe imparting upon his children with tweets like this? Because surely teaching them that threatening to shoot others 'isn't wrong' is far more acceptable then teaching gay marriage 'isn't wrong', right?

Jay Brisco is the current ROH World Champion. However, these remarks were made via Twitter rather than something he said in front of fans at an ROH wrestling event.

Not if they continue to remain on the ROH website under his "latest tweets", they won't. Briscoe himself then went on the remove his Twitter account altogether after heavy backlash, but the Tweet remains up on ROH's website.

That being said, should ROH hand down some sort of sanction against Brisco or should they just let the thing burn out & simply go on about business as usual?

Ring of Honor issued a statement regarding Briscoe's tweet:

Originally Posted by Ring of Honor:
"Ring of Honor Wrestling respects and appreciates every fan regardless of age, gender, race, religion or sexual preference. The recent post by Jay Briscoe does not represent the views or opinions of Ring of Honor Wrestling, its owners, management or employees."

Well then, who does it represent? The man is their World Champion. If you let someone who makes such claims to represent your company as it's top guy, and leave his Tweet up on your Website, you're not being respectful of a certain demographic.

I'd strip him of the title. What better way to confirm your statement above that Briscoe's comments aren't reflective of your own then by removing him from a position of being your flag-bearer?

Anything else sends a negative message to your fan-base. As the old saying goes:

'The closer you are to first class, the harder you land when the plane crashes.'

Briscoe crashed and burned here. Time for a hard landing.

 

[The Dragon Saga]

ROH have a full schedule this month too though so he is defending the title before it, against BJ Whitmer in Richmond in two weeks, Davey Richards in San Antonio and Eddie Edwards in Columbus. He and Mark challenge for the ROH World Tag Team titles this Saturday in Pennsylvania too.

Its been a long time since ROH have had a World title change at a live event but they do record live events now so there's a possibility if they want to change it they can, I doubt they will but the option is there. It may confuse viewers watching television and a Mark/Jay World title match will gain more attention than a Davey/Mark, BJ/Mark or Eddie/Mark match would.

 

[Nate DaMac]

Never even seen the dude, but I now know enough to know that he's an ignorant piece of garbage. He's ignorant for stating the stupid opinion and he's ignorant for having the stupid opinion. I hope he is content breaking his back for chicken feed.

Fucking moron.

 

[It's Damn Real!]

Never even seen the dude, but I now know enough to know that he's an ignorant piece of garbage. He's ignorant for stating the stupid opinion and he's ignorant for having the stupid opinion. I hope he is content breaking his back for chicken feed.

Fucking moron.

I saw him and his brother wrestle at an ROH show years back at the Manhattan center and thought they were talented as wrestlers and had a nice look, but I can tell you for sure that I'm one of those people I mentioned in my earlier post in this thread that would stop buying/watching over shit like this. Not that I actually watch ROH, but if I had an opportunity to attend a show with him on it, I'd pass having read what I read.

Sorry, but I don't support bigotry. You (generally speaking, not you specificaily, Nate) can call me a baby for it and tell me I'm too sensitive and to grow up and whatever else, but bigotry is bigotry. To me, what he said is no different than had he written "If thinking black people should vote makes you happy, fine, but teach my kids and I'll fucking shoot you". You can basically swap that in for any group, really. Women, people with mental handicaps, Vietnamese, whatever. It's a disgusting and pathetic opinion to have and one I'd never monetarily support in even the slightest way.

 

[Thriller Ant]

Jay Briscoe would like to again express his sincerest apologies and regrets to all, especially his young fans, for his recent hateful twitter comment. Ring of Honor has insisted that Jay also make a public apology at the Ring of Honor event this Saturday night. Jay will address the public during the event.

In addition to this apology, Ring of Honor and Jay have agreed that he will donate his full pay from the next two Ring of Honor events to the Partners Against Hate charitable organization. Partners Against Hate was created to help prevent, deter, and reduce juvenile hate-related behavior.

For more information on PAH, visit http://www.partnersagainsthate.org/

Here's the link

Say what you will about Jay, but ROH has been handling this about as well as they possibly can at this point. I still expect Jay to lose the title after this iPPV cycle, but ROH's damage control has been doing well thus far.

 

[ABMorales787]

I realize Bully Ray went through something similar to this in the last few weeks TNA, which he also apologized for, but the gay rights thing is a media magnet right now. These guys would be wise to recognize that and just be really proactive about watching what they say. They don't live in the same world where they are "entitled" to say what they want. They are entitled to, but they are also public figures who make easy targets and who will be held to a higher standard.

What Ray said isn't a term that is always seen as a derogatory term for homosexuals. I happen to call my, heterosexual, best friend a f*g myself out of affection. Yeah...... I'll use South Park for reference next time.

The Briscoes tend to be seen as total hicks so chances are the idiot though being under character was smart. Or he's just an idiot. I wouldn't start screaming "hater" at him though. Sounds more like he's being loud and obnoxious rather than hateful.

 

[The Dragon Saga]

He wasn't in character. Hes very outspoken on Twitter. This isn't the first anti-gay comments hes made either and he got into it with Mike Bennett after the killings a few months back in America because Bennett is for gun control and Jay is against it. Delaware passing the bill just brought it to his attention and he probably wasn't thinking.

Either way he has to apologize in public, give up his pay and will probably lose the title post-Best In The World - if he loses it to Mark I'll be shocked unless an angle is involved. As several ROH fans have stated on various forums, fuck all fans actually give a shit about his comments anyway.

 

[akrassikauda]

First I would like to thank Mike Killam for closing the Jay Briscoe threads on the main page, the level of bigoted remarks was just ludicrous. I'm just glad that we here in the non spam section can agree or disagree on a topic like this without the ignorant bullshit because the thread will be closed.

Second. Jay Briscoe what an idiot, I've felt over the last 2 years that the Briscoes where going to get a shot on the big stage. If reports are true that WWE is interested his remarks have just turned is into was not only for him but for his brother as well. The sure stupidity of anyone in the spotlight to go off in social media with remarks like that does not deserve an opportunity to make big money and be seen in millions of homes worldwide.

 

[HBsam31]

I think people should be able tovoice their opinions no matter what they are. He shouldn't have added in the shooting part however. I don't agree with him at all, but he has the right to say it. I am not a fan of social media outlets at all though as I feel they do more harm than good, and I figured by now people would be smarter than to post stuff like that on there. Having the cahmpion of your company tweet something like that can't be good, and it seems they are handling it well. I think he is a talented wrestler and personally I don't care what these guys do or say out of the ring. I pay to see them wrestle not to hear their opinions on life. Just the same I think everyone needs to smarten up and not voice their opinions for everyone to see. Just because you think it doesn't mean that it needs to be said, and it sure doesn't mean people will even care to hear or read it.

 

[CM Punk is a Jew]

Jay Brisco is a very brave man to come out with such a powerful and polarizing statement. There is some ridiculous narrative that the homosexuals are the ones who are courageous when they reveal their sexual preferences to the public. It amazes me how so many people don't believe their own lying eyes. Media is firmly 100% behind public homosexuality. A homosexual athlete gets calls from the president for commendation, press releases of praise from public figures, and a cacophony of cheers from peers and the public. The opportunity cost to declaring homosexuality is absolutely zero. It is rewarded.

Opposing public homosexuality, on the other hand, is ostracizing and risky. The threat of lawsuit is very real, from "equal opportunity" to "discrimination" and any other number violations. This can cost you your business, your career, and your fortune. "Popular opinion", that is, everything deemed fit to be printed, will be 100% against you. Your life's history can be fully scrutinized until a vulnerability is revealed. Does anyone really think that vitriol is exclusively the province of traditionally-valued men and women? Of course not, but it's swept under the rug if you're playing for the winning team.

There is no "two-sided debate" regarding issues of homosexuality. It is impossible because the terms of debate have already been decided. One is forward, the other is backward. One is progressive, the other is archaic. One is accepting, the other is bigoted. Until those two polarities are set equal, there can be no civil discourse. We should not expect "unbiased" commentary when it is prohibited by the framework itself.

 

[jpickens]

Last time I checked this is somewhat of a free country and Jay is still entitled to his opinion ROH making him apologize for simply speaking his mind is bullshit neither him or Bully Ray should have to bow down to the pc thugs it's pro wrestling and it's suppose to politically incorrect.

 

[Nate DaMac]

Last time I checked this is somewhat of a free country and Jay is still entitled to his opinion ROH making him apologize for simply speaking his mind is bullshit neither him or Bully Ray should have to bow down to the pc thugs it's pro wrestling and it's suppose to politically incorrect.

You're a fucking idiot. ROH is a business. Having their champion run his stupid mouth about shit like this could turn people away from their product, which is bad for business. They shouldn't have to make him apologize, he should have been smart enough not to say something so fucking stupid in the first place.

Everyone is entitled to their own opinion. In my opinion, Jay and anyone else who still thinks the way this fucking mouth breather thinks should be beaten in the face with a meat tenderizer.

 

[#MrScissorsKick]

Well, In my opinion, whether anyone agrees with me or not I believe Jay Briscoe should've been fired like, yesterday. I don't have an issue with wrestlers speaking their minds that's cool and all. However, this kind of behavior is unacceptable. I hate comparing companies and comparing their wrestlers but would you see a wrestler from TNA or WWE making absurd statements such as Briscoe? We can laugh and tease John Cena all we want but would we ever see him make tweets like Briscoe's? I don't think so. Even TNA's World Champion, Bully Ray wouldn't make stupid and unintelligent tweets like that. I do believe that Ring of Honor represents that type of behavior. Now don't get me wrong I'm not bashing ROH I'm not a fan but I do know that they have a decent fan base in the IWC. First off, the tweet wasn't necessary at all. Do I have a problem with homosexuals? No. They don't bother me. But then again, I wouldn't hit up twitter and tell the world I'd kill someone if they knew someone was gay is getting married. Ring of Honor shouldn't let this happen. They do need all the help they can get from fans. I know ROH has been struggling in other areas in the country. I believe Ring of Honor cancelled 2 shows this year one in Virginia, and another one in West Virginia.

 

[The Dragon Saga]

Last time I checked this is somewhat of a free country and Jay is still entitled to his opinion ROH making him apologize for simply speaking his mind is bullshit neither him or Bully Ray should have to bow down to the pc thugs it's pro wrestling and it's suppose to politically incorrect.

As of right now its not been made clear whether they'll have him apologize for threatening violence or his stance on gay marriage. Sincerity has been a topic of discussion because hes made comments similar to this before, if he were to apologize It'd be to make corporate happy and nothing else, unless someone sat him down lectured him on civil rights and forced him to change his view.

Well, In my opinion, whether anyone agrees with me or not I believe Jay Briscoe should've been fired like, yesterday.

That would have started an entirely different argument on freedom of speech and opinion. Hes been fined and made to publicly apologize, nothing more can be done unless they suspend him from appearing on shows which would be stupid considering hes their champion. Both CM Punk and Bully Ray have made homophobic slurs in the past and neither lost their pay, neither were made to apologize at a live event and within the next two months its widely expected Jay will lose a title he worked eleven years to earn, while Punk went onto hold the WWE Championship for over a year and Bully Ray saw barely any consequences except an apology via Twitter.

I believe Ring of Honor cancelled 2 shows this year one in Virginia, and another one in West Virginia.

No, just one in West Virginia which was canceled this week due to the amount of dates their doing this summer. This is the busiest summer schedule ROH has ever had with a show almost every weekend plus TV tapings and a pay-per-view each month and they've still a couple more summer dates to announce.

 

[It's Damn Real!]

You're a fucking idiot. ROH is a business. Having their champion run his stupid mouth about shit like this could turn people away from their product, which is bad for business. They shouldn't have to make him apologize, he should have been smart enough not to say something so fucking stupid in the first place.

Everyone is entitled to their own opinion. In my opinion, Jay and anyone else who still thinks the way this fucking mouth breather thinks should be beaten in the face with a meat tenderizer.

Everyone is entitled to their own opinion. Celebrities, however, are held to a higher standard. It's that simple.

Yes, Jay is allowed to think that gay people are unnatural and disgusting and whatever else he feels, but the moment he says so publicly, he's going to receive much more back lash because of who he is, and rightfully so.

This is why I'm not a business man, though. I'd have fired him on the spot.

 

[lowandmighty]

I don't see anything wrong with him making that comment on twitter. The key to knowing whether its an actual threat or not is in the wording.

"try and teach my kids there's nothing wrong with that and I'll fucking shoot you"

He's clearly stating that he'll only shoot anyone if they try to teach his kids that theres nothing wrong with gay marriage or being gay in general, there's actually no reference to marriage made.

Aside from the use of extreme violence as a solution, I actually agree with his views, if its meant to be about gay marriage.

I don't see anything wrong with two men or two women having sex together behined closed doors as long as they both consent to it.

However I don't agree that they have the right to be married in the true sense of the word.
My reason for this view is that marriage is originally and fundamentally a religious bond, religions that don't accept homosexuality as acceptable in they eyes of their gods don't want homos to be married so even though I'm not even religious, I think the values of religions that don't recognize homosexuality as acceptable behavior should be respected and upheld.

Homos can have civil unions, its exactly the same as being married, just without the religious aspect. I think homosexuals need to realize that.

 

[jpickens]

If I were in charge of ROH I would staunchly defend Jay Briscoe's right to free speech not every promotion has to kowtow to GLADD like the WWE did someone needs to quote dem boys to man up and defend their talent.

 

[H33LTurn]

I'm glad that for the most part the posters here have shown tolerance and respect to the LGBT community, while also understanding the severity of Jay Briscoe's comments. I make no secret about my support for gay marriage and LGBT rights so hearing something like this coming from someone in the wrestling community is certainly disheartening. Stephanie McMahon revealed her support for gay marriage on twitter not long ago and therefore if the rumors are true that the McMahon-Leveques are running things now and Vince has begun to step aside, I assure you the Briscoes wont be signing a WWE contract anytime soon.

The issue of freedom of speech also comes into question during incidents like this. It can be broken down into two parts: a) Freedom of speech refers to the ability to voice one's opinion without fear of being jailed or other consequences by the government. If Jay had been jailed or his twitter deleted by the government for stating his opinion then one could argue that his freedom of speech had been violated. Such was not the case. Freedom of speech only refers to the government's inability to censor or punish anyone for stating their opinion. Freedom of speech is not freedom of consequence for his speech. However, Briscoe's threats to shoot a teacher that tries to educate his children on tolerance towards LGBT people is subject to government interaction. Teachers are not responsible for the curriculum they must base their classes on, and assuming Briscoe's kids are old enough to go to school, if theres any teacher who must teach LGBT tolerance they could take these comments as a threat. And thats what these comments are. A threat to physically harm, potentially even kill, anyone who's in that teacher's situation. Trust me, the government doesnt make much of the "it was just macho posturing" defense. b) When you sign a contract to become part of a company, such as ROH, many of those companies include a moral clause. WWE, for example, doesnt allow you to make disparaging comments about the company while under contract. If Jay's ROH contract includes any sort of moral clause that prevents him from saying anything along the lines of what he tweeted they reserve the right to take action however they see fit. Assuming it was them who shut down his Twitter account, there appears to be a right reserved by ROH to do major damage control when an incident like this occurs.. Truth is when you work for any company, it doesnt have to be one that thrusts you in the public eye, you sign away a little bit of freedom when you sign your contract. You're expected to represent the company in the best way possible, and bosses are paranoid, especially now in the age of social media, that one of their employees will embarrass them and cause irreparable damage to the company's reputation.

I'm glad that the response to incidents like this over the years has turned into shaming those who make disparaging and bigot comments. Believe me its changed drastically over the years and as we continue to make progress individuals will think twice before pulling something like this. Congratulations to Delaware for passing marriage equality.

 

[The Boss]

Personally I think both ROH and TNA (when Bully made his comments about gays) missed the boat on this one. With the issue of gay marriage being such a big issue for the left wing media right now this was a chance for both promotions to get mentioned on a lot of networks. Both ROH and TNA could have gotten a lot of publicity from this.

Granted it would initially be negative press (then again the old saying is that there is no such thing as fugitive press) but they could quickly turn that around to benefit them. There are a lot of people who quickly got hearing about EVERYTHING regarding homosexuality and were tired of being insulted and called homophobic because they believe in traditional marriage. They would appreciate wrestlers that would speak out against it. I don't mean just having Bully or Briscoe spewing anti gay remarks, but have them speak out about how they are tired of being labeled by left wingers for their beliefs.

Both could have taken advantage of this. But after the Boston bombings and other news the public has moved on and now they both missed the boat.

 

[Brahma_Bull9]

What Ray said isn't a term that is always seen as a derogatory term for homosexuals. I happen to call my, heterosexual, best friend a f*g myself out of affection. Yeah...... I'll use South Park for reference next time.

The Briscoes tend to be seen as total hicks so chances are the idiot though being under character was smart. Or he's just an idiot. I wouldn't start screaming "hater" at him though. Sounds more like he's being loud and obnoxious rather than hateful.

Am I misunderstanding the post, but do you think ****** isn't a derogatory term for gay people? I call people who aren't gay **** all the time but that doesn't change what the word derived from and who it is really supposed to land on when you say it. I get called the n word by my black buddies, that doesn't change what the word means because I'm white.