Cecil No. 2 fire chief out of post following slur against Tomlin
A Cecil Township volunteer fire chief resigned from his position Tuesday, two days after he leveled a racial slur against Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin in a Facebook post during the Steelers-Chicago Bears game.
Township officials said in an email Tuesday afternoon that Paul Smith was no longer chief of Cecil Fire Company No. 2 in Muse, “effective immediately.” A short time later, Smith confirmed he had resigned.
Two days earlier, Smith took to Facebook to express his ire at Tomlin over the fact that most of the Steelers remained out of sight during the national anthem.
“Tomlin just added himself to the list of no good N—–s. Yes I said it,” Smith wrote. The post appears to have been deleted.
Tuesday morning, Smith’s post drew rebukes from township officials and other Cecil area fire companies.
Supervisor Cindy Fisher said it “absolutely” eroded the public’s trust in Smith, and she called on him to step down.
“He needs to resign, or I would hope the presidents of the fire company will take actions to make sure that he is no longer chief,” Fisher said.
She stressed she was speaking for herself and that fire companies operate independently from the township government.
“I really can’t explain what he was thinking, and I hope the world understands that that’s not how Cecil Township feels,” Fisher said.
In a Facebook message in response to an inquiry from the Observer-Reporter Tuesday morning, Smith said, “What I said was wrong and I truly am sorry. It was said in anger.”
President Trump said at a rally Friday in Alabama that NFL owners should fire any “son of a b—-” who kneels in dissent during the national anthem. Those comments sparked the largest public player protest in the league’s history on Sunday.
Former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick, who began engaging in the public demonstrations last year to protest police brutality and racial injustice, is not on any team’s roster.
A small number of players continued the practice, but Trump’s comments drew open defiance from teams throughout the league.
In Chicago, all Steelers except offensive tackle Alejandro Villanueva, a former Army Ranger who served in Afghanistan and stood with his hand over his heart at the opening of the tunnel to the field, remained out of sight Sunday during the anthem.
In his Facebook message to the O-R, Smith denied being racist. “I have many friends of color and ethnicities,” he said, adding the fire company and township “should NEVER have been brought into this.”
“I understand that I am a public servant and have been for 23 years. I said one thing wrong and now my world is turned upside down,” he wrote. “I did not break the law. That slur is used by many musicians with no recourse. Not trying to change the subject, but it is that I am being construed as a bad person.”
Township manager Don Gennuso wasn’t available for comment. In an emailed statement, the five members of the board of supervisors said they were “deeply disturbed by the comments made by Volunteer Chief Smith,” and they “in no way, shape or form condone his comments.”
Cecil Township Police Department, on its Facebook page, said, “The Cecil Township Police Department does not condone or support the comments made by Cecil Township Fire Chief Paul Smith. Paul Smith has no affiliation with the Cecil Township Police Department.”
Cecil Township Fire Company No. 3 issued a statement on Facebook saying, “The company does not condone or support the comments made by (Smith),” adding Smith is not a member of the No. 3 company. Cecil Township Volunteer Fire Company No. 1 in Lawrence also made a statement on Facebook, saying the department “does not in any way condone or support the comments made by Cecil Township Muse VFD #29 Fire Chief Paul Smith. Paul Smith has no affiliation with the Lawrence Volunteer Fire Department.”