SmashMouth

The Atlanta broadcasters who made fun of former Saints safety Steve Gleason’s battle with ALS on the air this morning have been suspended.

Sports radio station 790 The Zone confirmed this afternoon that everyone involved in the bit on the “Mayhem in the A.M.” morning show will be off the station indefinitely.

“We deeply regret the comments made by Mayhem In The AM this morning on 790 The Zone regarding former New Orleans Saints player Steve Gleason,” station VP & General Manager Rick Mack said in a statement. “790 The Zone, Lincoln Financial Media, our sponsors and partners in no way endorse or support the unfortunate and offensive commentary concerning Mr. Gleason this morning. The members of the show involved with this incident have been suspended indefinitely pending further management review of their actions.”

The “Mayhem in the A.M.” team thought it would be funny to make jokes at Gleason’s expense through a mock interview that used a robotic voice to represent Gleason, who has lost his ability to speak. The station has been inundated by calls from listeners expressing their displeasure with the segment.

Steve Gleason comments get Atlanta radio hosts suspended | ProFootballTalk

SmashMouth

In the wake of Monday’s effort at humor that not even Andrew “Dice” Clay would find funny from the morning drive show on 790 The Zone in Atlanta, several of you have pointed out that one of the offenders — station co-founder Stephen “Steak” Shapiro — can’t be fired because he owns the place.

Actually, he used to own the place.

In 2010, Shapiro and Andrew Saltzman sold the equity to Lincoln Financial. Which makes Shapiro an employee. Who is now as capable of being terminated as any other employee for the decision to make fun of former Saints defensive back Steve Gleason and his serious medical condition, ALS.

V.P. and General Manager Rick Mack has said that the members of Mayhem in the A.M. “involved with this incident” have been suspended. The choice of words could give the station flexibility to discipline (and possibly terminate) only those who were specifically involved in the bit.

It’s still unclear what role, if any, Shapiro had in the situation, since the audio isn’t (and likely won’t be) made available by the station. Co-host Nick Cellini has acknowledged on his Twitter page that the supposed joke failed miserably. It’s possible that Shapiro was sounding the alarm internally, and that his warnings were ignored.

Regardless, he’s as susceptible to termination as anyone else, since he’s no longer an owner.

Termination is a serious outcome, but it’s possibly the right one in this case. Broadcasters have been fired for far less, sometimes by stations that already were looking for a reason to act. Much of it likely depends on the overall reaction to the situation, which probably will be less vocal than it would have been if the audio had been posted on the station’s website.

On one hand, the audio should be posted, so that it properly can be scrutinized. On the other hand, making the offensive content available for further listening will only magnify the harm caused.
Shapiro’s 2010 asset sale makes him vulnerable to termination by 790 The Zone | ProFootballTalk

QBREES9

Can him. The line has been crossed. Low class no class.

SloMotion

Good. $hitcan 'em. It's a special kind of moron(s) that'll dog someone with an incurable, fatal disease, .

SaintKiller

That's good news!

This is a horrible situation, I'm disappointed in the zone but pleased with the way my fellow citizens of Atlanta responded to them during call ins...we all felt it was completely disgusting and classless and we did not support it at all. We enjoy trash talking about the Saints and their city but this is a line that us Falcon fans wouldn't dare cross!

TheOak

Stay classy Atlanta. You will never let us down.

saintfan

Screw 'em!

73Saint

My aunt died of ALS. It is a horrible, incurable disease. If they had been poking fun of Patrick Swayze during his battle w/ Pancreatic Cancer, hollywood would be calling for immediate termination. IMO, nothing short of that would suffice in these circumstances either.

Jamessr

Was it Nick Cellini that made the comments?
Just want to know who to bash/bad mouth on Facebook

Crusader

What did they say?