Curt Schilling Finally Speaks Out; Blames Gov. Chafee - ABC6 - Providence, RI and New Bedford, MA News, Weather

Curt Schilling Finally Speaks Out on 38 Studios; Blames Gov. Chafee

     In an interview with WEEI Radio in Boston today, Curt Schilling said the failure of the video game company has probably cost him his entire baseball fortune.
     He's putting some of the blame on Governor Chafee.

     Curt Schilling says it has been a surreal 60 days.
     His company went from a hit video game, to being out of business.
     And while he admits some blame in mismanaging the company, Schilling says someone else is largely responsible for it's final collapse:

     "It just king of spiraled out of control," said Schilling. The WEEI host asked,  "Are you busted now, are you broke?" Schilling responded, "I'm tapped out if that helps." The host inquired, "You didn't walk away with anything?" Schilling said, "No, no."

     Curt Schilling in his first broadcast interview since the demise of 38 studios, blames one person for that companies failure. He says Governor Lincoln Chafee sunk the troubled video game maker with public comments suggesting Rhode Island could lose it's 75 million dollar investment

    Curt Schilling, owner of 38 Studios, said, "It was based around the word - he used the word keeping the company 'solvent.' That word was - red flag - yeah that was an enormous problem. And the employees had no idea, and pay day was the next day, and they didn't get a paycheck and it just went downhill from there."

     Schilling says at that point, investors who might have saved 38 studios got scared, and would not invest their money.

     ABC6 Reporter Mark Curtis says, "While Curt Schilling spent the bulk of the interview blaming Governor Chafee for the failure of his business, 38 studios, a noted business expert we spoke with says that's preposterous."

     URI Business Professor Ed Mazze says, "They couldn't make it because the business plan was flawed."

     URI Business Professor Ed Mazze, said Curt Schilling is the only one to blame for the failure of 38 studios.  Professor Mazze said, "It's very much an individual whose caught murdering his wife and the while in the courtroom getting ready to be sentence and he's asking for mercy because he's a widower. I mean just plain arrogance on the part of Curt Schilling."

     Late Friday afternoon, the Governor's office issued this statement saying:  "The Governor has repeatedly said that while he was opposed to the 38 studios deal during the campaign, he became the company's biggest cheerleader once he took office... The Governor went on to say, "I'm glad Mr. Schilling is taking responsibility for his mistakes and errors in judgment, notwithstanding his claims that the state was not a good partner."

     Approximately 400 people lost their jobs when 38 Studios went out of business and filed for bankruptcy protection.