The hosts of Atlants 790 The Zone’s sports talk show Mayhem in the AM were fired after making fun of former NFL safety Steve Gleason. Program hosts Steak Shapiro, Chris Dimino, and Nick Cellini aired a “humorous” segment on Monday in which “Gleason,” who was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) in 2011, called into the radio show. As Gleason cannot speak without the aid of a synthetic voice, he was parodied in the segment with a robotic voice telling a knock-knock joke. The punchline was, “Smother me. Do me a favor.”

Gleason played as a safety for the New Orleans Saints from 2000 to 2007. He now runs Team Gleason, an organization dedicated to raising ALS awareness and providing services to those afflicted with ALS.

Rick Mack, the general manager of 790 The Zone issued a statement on the matter on Monday, apologizing specifically to Gleason and explaining that the hosts have been fired:

“We deeply regret the offensive programming that aired this morning on “Mayhem In The AM” on 790 The Zone, related to former New Orleans Saints player Steve Gleason and his battle with ALS. We suspended the three individuals involved immediately following their comments and have since terminated their employment. 790 The Zone, our owners, sponsors and partners in no way endorse or support this kind of content. We sincerely apologize to Mr. Gleason, his family and all those touched by ALS.”

Dimino has has also issued an apology on his Facebook page, referring to himself as a bully:

So where to begin. The obvious and rightful place is with an apology. And the reality of knowing that falls short…no matter what I say…is heartbreaking.

The sheer stupidity of trying to put this as a failed attempt at humor is not lost on me.

The words “Should have known better” mean nothing to me. And shouldn’t to you right now

I would like to though offer my apology. Knowing that it is everyone’s right not to accept it. Or even consider accepting it for now.

My apologies go out first to Steve Gleason and his family. The weight of what he and they are going through did not need to be made heavier or worse by the pure and straight insensitivity of my actions.

I also want to offer up my apologies to all who are not only dealing with ALS..but to those who are dealing with ANYTHING that has made themself or family and friends subject to the physical and emotional heartache of any debilitating disease or condition.

As a father of two girls, I put myself in a position that I have begged…pleaded..DEMANDED..they not put themselves in. That of the bully. The mean kid. The one who thinks what they say or do comes with no consequence. It does. It always does.

I have no illusion as to what 19 years on the radio…30 years of being a grown man..and most importantly almost 10 years of being a father..and what you build up in your name and reputation over those periods of time..should and does mean.

Now I know how quickly a stupid and worse than that non thinking moment can change all of it.

I hope I get a chance to prove this is not who I want to be. It was and is who “I am” today though. That much is not lost on me.

I have spent so long not trying to put other people in a bad place because of me. Today I failed miserably.

I’m very open to any and all dialogue as it pertains to the people I have hurt and disappointed. I’ve had that dialogue with myself..my wife and will with my kids.

Thanks for at least this much of your time

Chris Dimino

Steak Shapiro has appeared on CNN to apologize, calling the radio segment “stupid” and “offensive.”

(Image courtesy Team Gleason)

According to the Associated Press, O’Brien’s first on-air story will be about war veterans coping with post-traumatic stress disorder through martial arts. Real Sports is a monthly sports show focused on in-depth and personal stories.

Though O’Brien has limited experience with sports reporting, she has been in journalism for over 20 years. After leaving Harvard University, O’Brien began her career as a reporter for a Boston NBC affiliate. She soon moved to NBC news proper, reporting for both the NBC Nightly News and Today. In 2003 she moved to CNN, where she became the anchor of CNN morning show American Morning.

O’Brien’s most recent position was as the anchor of CNN’s Starting Point. She signed off the show for the last time on March 29, invoking the value of strong journalism and tough questions:

O’Brien’s new position was announced through HBO’s Twitter account. O’Brien herself has also been showered with congratulations through social media:

We’re proud to announce that we have added award-winning broadcast journalist @soledad_obrien to our #RealSports team. See her debut on 6/25

— HBO (@HBO) June 12, 2013

“@donnabrazile: Congratulations @soledad_obrien on your great news. @hbo“//thanks, chica! Xo

— Soledad O’Brien (@Soledad_OBrien) June 12, 2013

@soledad_obrien Congratulations on becoming reporter for HBO….you just gave me a reason to order HBO

— Keith Bowens (@kbowens042467) June 12, 2013

“@katorihall: @nicolearip thx so much for the follow! I’m in awe of ur talent!!!!”//oh, my favorite women chatting! Lol

— Soledad O’Brien (@Soledad_OBrien) June 13, 2013

“@srekal_1: @soledad_obrien party people say, party people say, ay, it’s a new day, it’s a new day #HBO“//why yes it is. Lol

— Soledad O’Brien (@Soledad_OBrien) June 13, 2013

According to the Charlotte Observer, the NBA team has hired Ewing to serve as “top” assistant to head coach Steve Clifford. His title will be “associate head coach.”

Ewing retired from NBA basketball in 2002, after a 16-year career. He was the first pick in the 1985 NBA Draft, and played for the New York Knicks for 15 years before finishing his career with the Seattle SuperSonics and the Orlando Magic. He was named an NBA all-star 11 times during his playing days, and was NBA Rookie of the Year in 1986. He was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2008.

After retiring, Ewing began his coaching career as an assistant coach with the Houston Rockets. In 2007 he moved on to an assistant coaching position with the Orlando Magic, working under coach Jeff Van Gundy until now.

(Image courtesy Seidenstud/Wikimedia Commons)
(Via Charlotte Observer)

Well, Kimmel’s back with a new one and in the spirit of the ongoing NBA finals, this episode of Mean Tweets involves people in and around the NBA – players and broadcasters. Check it out:

[JimmyKimmelLive]

Olbermann began his broadcasting career as a sports broadcaster, reporting for radio stations before joining CNN in 1981. In 1992 he joined ESPN as a SportsCenter anchor. While never truly giving up sports broadcasting, in 2003 Olbermann became the host of MSNBC primetime show Countdown with Keith Olbermann, where he gained fame for his outspoken criticism of George W. Bush’s presidency.

Olbermann has celebrated his return to Turner Broadcasting (CNN is part of the Turner Broadcasting System) by changing his Twitter picture to an old photo of himself reporting for CNN. He also thanked his fans with a self-pic in front of the TimeWarner building:

Follow @KeithOlbermann

Keith Olbermann
@KeithOlbermann

Thanks to all who have sent good wishes on my new gig on MLB on TBS. In reply here is the obligatory silly selfie http://t.co/pSguit3wsH

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4 hours ago via Twittelator · powered by @socialditto

Oh yeah, and he’s a long snapper.

Sure, any quarterback or 3-point sharpshooter can make a trick shot video. But a long snapper? That’s something we haven’t seen before. Watch Smith accurately knock bottles of fire hydrants, make shots into trash cans, and nail his cameraman buddy in the nuts:

[MaxParker10 via Fark]

Guerrero began his career with the Houston Astros, where he famously signed Cesar Cedeno out of his home country.

“He was a good friend and great scout, great ambassador for baseball and a great evaluator of talent,” Smith said. “He and Pat Gillick were responsible for signing Cesar Cedeno, one of the finest players in the history of the franchise, and other players. Just a great person and a great baseball man. I’m really, really saddened to hear of his death,” said former Astros president Tal Smith.

Guerrero spent a large part of his career with the Toronto Blue Jays (1978-1995), and is credited with helping to load the franchise with great players in the 80′s and 90′s. He signed influential players like Tony Fernandez, Alfredo Griffin and Carlos Delgado. He also played a big part in the drafting of George Bell.

He served as a coach for the team in 1981.

On Thursday night, The Toronto Blue Jays held a moment of silence before their game with the Baltimore Orioles in honor of Guerrero.

In his illustrious career, Guerrero signed over 40 MLB players for four teams – the Houston Astros, New York Yankees, Toronto Blue Jays and Milwaukee Brewers.

He was inducted into the Dominican Sports Hall of Fame in 2008. Guerrero died in his birth city of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.

[Image via TheStar]

The report comes from John Boyle at the Everett Herald:

The #Seahawks have waived QB Josh Portis, who earlier this month was arrested on suspicion of DUI.

— John Boyle (@johnpboyle) May 21, 2013

Reports claimed that Portis had been arrested on May 5th after being stopped for speeding. Portis reportedly smelled of alcohol, and later blood tests confirmed that his BAC was .092, just a bit higher than the legal limit of .08. He’s scheduled to appear in court on May 28th.

In a tweet, Portis’ agent JR Rickert insisted that his client had not been arrested, but that tweet has since been deleted. Police reports indicate that Portis’ passenger named-dropped the Seahawks during the stop:

“Portis asked me if I knew who he was and I stated yes,” wrote the arresting officer in the report. “(The passenger) exited the vehicle and began to cry. (The passenger) stated I was arresting a Seahawk, and I was going to ruin him. … (The passenger) shouted at me and stated she couldn’t believe that I was from Seattle, and was arresting a Seahawk.”

Portis was signed as an undrafted free agent in 2011. In August of that year Portis played in a preseason game against the Chargers. He’s never actually played in a regular season game. Last year, Portis was cut by the Seahawks and later resigned. Before his recent waiver, Portis sat behind Russell Wilson and Brady Quinn on the depth chart.

The cyst removal, however, will keep Romo out of team activities for the next three weeks. The Cowboys’ mini-camp runs from June 11th to the 13th.

“That’s why I did it now. This will have no effect on training camp. No way will it have an impact. And I still think there’s a good chance I’m on the field for mini-camp,” Romo told The Dallas Morning News. ““It was something I felt like was nagging me just enough. I wanted to make sure to get it done now. I wanted to take care of it earlier rather than later.’’

Romo says that the back cyst began bothering him in April, and he wound up having the removal procedure a short time after that. He confirms that it wasn’t cancerous.

Training camp starts on July 19th, and Romo is adamant that the medical procedure will not have any lingering effects.

“If this was the regular season and I had to play next week, I could,” said Romo. “This is just about being smart.”

Reports indicate that Rice’s home was burglarized some time between the hours of 8:30 pm Friday and 12:50 am Saturday. In the end, $2000 and two guns were reported stolen.

Rice wasn’t at home during the robbery – he was out of town. But a friend was staying at the house and reported the crime. Police say that the burglar made his way into Rice’s home through a back window.

Luckily for Rice and police, it appears that the whole thing was caught on surveillance video.

“My family and I are fine, which is the most important thing,” Rice said in statement. “This is an unfortunate incident that I am dealing with through the proper channels.”

Rice, a prolific Twitter and Facebook users, isn’t using social media to discuss the crime. Instead, he used Facebook on Monday to send his condolences to those affected by the Oklahoma tornado.

Ray Rice1 day ago

Thoughts and prayers for the people affected in Oklahoma. Absolutely heartbreaking. Powered by socialditto  1,000+ likes ·  151 comments