This story was updated.
PRESQUE ISLE, Maine — Former WHOU announcer Steve Shaw has withdrawn from the Maine Basketball Hall of Fame after being fired last week for making body-shaming comments about girl basketball players on air.
Shaw and co-announcer Jim Carter were unaware their microphone was live when they made comments on the weight and physical appearance of girls in a basketball game they were not announcing but were watching. There has since been public outcry in support of the girls. The two men have been broadcasting high school sports in Aroostook County for decades.
The Maine Basketball Hall of Fame board of directors had planned to meet Wednesday to vote on Shaw’s status as a 2020 legend of the game. The board accepted Shaw’s withdrawal request instead.
“The MBHoF board of directors believes that words and actions matter and strives to create a culture of respect and inclusion,” the board said in a Facebook post announcing his withdrawal.
Many online supported this outcome, saying that leaving the hall of fame was warranted.
“I believe that Shaw should have been removed from the MBHoF just as quickly as he was fired from WHOU,” Sarah Foster said. “Instead, he was able to leave on his own terms. I have yet to hear any apologies offered to the Easton girls from Shaw or Carter. The sheer fact that they did not apologize directly and immediately to the team after these disgusting comments were made, shows their true lack of character and remorse for their shameful and offensive comments. These girls deserve more than an apology.”
Foster also said that nobody should endure any kind of body-shaming, and hopes that by gathering this much attention, others will think before they continue these behaviors.
Other people were upset about Shaw’s departure from the hall of fame, saying that the remarks made have been paid for already.
“I honestly am saddened by the thought of him withdrawing from it,” said Cassie Pickering of Winn, a former girls varsity coach at Lee Academy. “He deserved to be in the hall of fame and one lapse of judgment shouldn’t get that taken away. I think being terminated [from employment] was enough, and the damage is done. They have spent their lives coaching, teaching and representing The County.”
Steve Shaw worked at Easton schools as a teacher, basketball coach, and athletic administrator. He was a prominent presence in both Aroostook County and the state as well in athletics.
Shaw also coached at Central Aroostook high school, leading the Panthers to a state championship win in 1994. He was awarded coach of the year by the Maine Association of Basketball Coaches in 1994 and 1995. Shaw was also athletic administrator of the year in 2000, and the US senate recognized his 50 years in education in 2019.