‘I’ll forever regret what happened’

For the first time publicly, former Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling expressed regret over publicly revealing Tim Wakefield’s cancer diagnosis against his wishes last fall while also confirming he will not attend the celebration of the 2004 Red Sox at the team’s home opener on April 9.

Replying on his personal Facebook page to a fan’s comment that he should attend the festivities before the home opener, Schilling said he would “forever regret” what happened last fall, when he revealed on a Sept. 27 podcast that both Wakefield and his wife, Stacy, were battling cancer. Four days later, Tim Wakefield died unexpectedly weeks after undergoing surgery following a brain cancer diagnosis. Stacy Wakefield died Feb. 28 after battling pancreatic cancer.

“No I don’t. Not this time,” Schilling said. “It’s about the 04 team and Wake, and we all know the media, CHB (The Boston Globe’s Dan Shaughnessy) in particular, will be writing things that have nothing to do with either of those things, even more were I to attend. Let the focus be on 04 and Wakey and Stacey (sic). I’ll forever regret what happened but I cannot in good conscience put my self (sic) in a position that would detract from the recognition that team and the Wakefields deserve. FWIW I wrote a letter to all the people whose opinion matters to me, so the people I care about know.”

Earlier this week, sources confirmed to MassLive that Schilling had declined the organization’s invitation to be part of the festivities honoring the championship team and Wakefield on April 9. In announcing the festivities early last week, the Red Sox made a point to note that “all members” of the 2004 team were invited to the ceremony. Schilling expressed to the club that he did not want his appearance at the home opener to serve as a distraction from honoring Wakefield’s memory, a sentiment backed up by his comments on Facebook.

There was some public debate over whether the Red Sox would invite Schilling to the ceremony in the first place. Schilling’s decision to reveal the Wakefields’ private medical information was met with widespread backlash from members of the Red Sox family and outsiders alike. Former teammates were shocked by the decision and Jason Varitek’s wife, Catherine, took to Twitter (X) to express her displeasure with a Sept. 28 tweet that read: “(Expletive) you Curt Schilling, that wasn’t your place!” On Sept. 28, with the Wakefields’ permission the Red Sox issued a statement noting that the information had “been shared publicly without their permission” and that the health of both was a deeply personal matter they intended to keep private.”

While there has been speculation that several teammates threatened to not attend the ceremony had Schilling chosen to attend, a source said that was untrue. The Red Sox are expecting a very large contingent of players from the 2004 team to be there.