A FOX Sports Southwest commentator was reportedly fired for making some pretty awful anti-gay comments ... the wrinkle is that he hurled the homophobic remarks long before he was hired. A FOX Sports Southwest commentator was reportedly fired for making some pretty awful anti-gay comments ... the wrinkle is that he hurled the homophobic remarks long before he was hired.

Craig James -- a star at SMU and a former member of the New England Patriots in the '80s -- ran for a senate seat in Texas. During a 2012 debate, he had some choice words: Gay people "would answer to the Lord for their actions," and being gay was a choice.

James was hired last month by Fox Sports Southwest and then reportedly fired after just one appearance. According to the Dallas Morning News, an unnamed Fox Sports honcho said, "We just asked ourselves how Craig's statements would play in our human resources department."

Apparently Fox didn't fully vet the dude. The question -- should he be sacked for statements he made before coming on board?