Peter Berg, executive producer the NBC football series "Friday Night Lights," has backtracked after making a controversial statement about Caitlyn Jenner, who won the Arthur Ashe Courage Award at the ESPYs on Wednesday.
On Thursday, Berg
posted a photo to Instagram that showed double-amputee U.S. Army veteran Gregory D. Gadson next to Olympic Gold-medalist Jenner.
The photo's text read: "One man traded 2 legs for the freedom of the other to trade 2 balls for 2 boobs. Guess which man made the cover of Vanity Fair, was praised for his courage by President Obama and is to be honored with the 'Arthur Ashe Courage Award' by ESPN?"
"Yup," Berg captioned the photo.
Gadson played for the Army's football team from 1985 to 1989, lost both of his legs to a roadside bomb during Operation Iraq Freedom, and is now a motivational speaker and actor. In Berg's film "Battleship," he plays Lt. Col. Mick Canales.
According to Variety, Berg's "Friday Night Lights," is the "TV adaptation of the book of the same name written by H.G. 'Buzz' Bissinger, who coincidentally also penned the Vanity Fair cover story in which Jenner made her debut as a woman."
Just a few hours after Berg made his first Instagram, which some commenters claimed was "transphobic," the producer made a second Instagram post.
"I have the utmost respect for Caitlyn Jenner and I am a strong supporter of equality and the rights of trans people everywhere,"
he wrote in the caption of a photo about veteran suicides.
"I also believe that we don't give enough attention to our courageous returning war veterans, many of whom have sacrificed their bodies and mental health for our country and our principals — principals that include the freedom to live the life you want to live without persecution or abuse."
While ESPN chooses most of its award-winners from a pool of nominees, the Ashe Award does not have nominees.
According to ESPN.com, "The Ashe Award is one of the most prestigious in sports. Recipients reflect the spirit of Arthur Ashe, possessing strength in the face of adversity, courage in the face of peril and the willingness to stand up for their beliefs no matter what the cost. The award is inspired by the life that Ashe lived, using his fame and stature to advocate for human rights, although, at the time, those positions may have been unpopular and were often controversial. The award is inspired by the life that Ashe lived, using his fame and stature to advocate for human rights, although, at the time, those positions may have been unpopular and were often controversial. From speaking out against apartheid in South Africa to revealing to the world his struggle with AIDS, Ashe never backed away from a difficult issue, even though doing so would have been easier. Winners of the Ashe Award strive to carry on Ashe's legacy in their own lives — inspired by those who do so each day."