Black Monday: Falcons Fire Coach Mike Smith

The Atlanta Falcons have announced they've parted ways with now former head coach Mike Smith.

On Black Monday, the day after the NFL regular season came to an end, Smith became the 3rd casualty.

He coached the Falcons for 7 years beginning in 2008. And during that time, the team had quite a bit of success, recording back-to-back winning seasons for the first time in their history. Smith got them into the playoffs 5 times and helped guide them within a touchdown of a Super Bowl berth.

But the past two seasons haven't been as kind as the Falcons fell victim to bad luck, injuries and problems finding quality linemen. Smith also made some questionable coaching decisions which this past season cost his team two games.

We should add that GM Thomas Dimitroff is not without blame here as the Falcons have severely lacked top flight talent on the line and have not drafted well the past several seasons.

But Dmitroff is likely to stay--though his status is a bit iffy too.

We feel bad about this, having covered the Falcons for 10-years. We were there when Smitty was hired and he was a total class act.

But the team has not produced and ultimately, owner Arthur Blank, with a billion dollar stadium on the way had to make a change. And he made it with the hope a new regime can bring in a winning team to launch the new building.

Only time will tell.

Sunday Morning NFL: Falcons Snatch Defeat From Jaws of Victory

So...NFL fans got a rare treat on October 26th, a 9:30 a.m wakeup football game featuring the Atlanta Falcons and Detroit Lions playing in London.

And...well, suffice to say at least the Lions fans were happy about it.

Detroit got a last second, 2nd attempt at a game-winning field goal by Matt Prater to squeak out a 22-21 win over Atlanta.

Somehow after a penalty, the Lions lined up for a 42-yard attempt by Prater for the win. As he went to kick it, a delay of game penalty was called. Prater missed that kick.

But another chance, with :02, from 47 yards...that was all the former Broncos All-Pro needed.

Now, mind you, the Falcons looked nearly unbeatable in the 1st half, storming out to a 21-0 lead.

But that would be all the scoring they could muster against the top ranked Lions Defense.

Matthew Stafford threw for 325 yards and 2 TD's, and Golden Tate made up for the absence of Calvin Johnson by catching 7 balls for 151 yards and a score.

But outside 60 yards running and a TD by Steven Jackson, the Falcons struggled yet again, losing their 5th straight game.

We feel for the Falcons and coach Mike Smith. Having covered them for years. We grew to respect what both he and G.M Thomas Dimitroff did, turning possibly one of the worst teams in NFL history back in 2007 into a perennial winner.

But that was a bit of smoke and mirrors. The Falcons were beneficiaries of easy schedules and quite a few lucky breaks that bounced their way. Which masked their weaknesses on both sides of the line.

Smitty and Dimitroff are two of the good guys in Football, well liked and well respected. But it's probably time to make a change as the team is not going to be any better than they are in the near future. The foundation isn't bad, but it's time.

As for Falcons fans--write this year off, you aren't going to get better than this.

The Lions, well, after come from behind wins the past couple weeks with their best player out. The future is bright. Jim Caldwell has brought new energy to the team and may very well be the coach who finally gets a team loaded with #1 draft picks to reach their potential and get in the playoffs.

Highlights to come later today--when the NFL allows them to be online...

The anaylsts at CBSSports.com discuss:

Bill Murray Intros Sunday Morning NFL Because Of Course He Does

Bill Murray is awesome.

Granted we don't know him personally, but he just exists on this alternate, dry humor plane where everything is living life to it's fullest, doing what you want to do kind of dali-lama-ish existence where he just drops wisdom upon us all.

Check out the intro he did Sunday morning to kick off FOXSports's coverage of the Atlanta Falcons/Detroit Lions game in London.

All we can say is that it's "So Very Bill Murray"

Enjoy:

John Hart Versus Forbes Magazine

((HT: WJBF-TV Augusta))

Brother J-Hart is a news anchor and full fledged FOSG based in Augusta.

He is an unabashed Atlanta Braves and Falcons fan and decided to take issue, umbrance, and flying disagreement with the new Forbes Magazine piece that proclaimed Atlanta a very bad title...

Post by John Hart.

The HQ will admit that the city is one of the biggest fair-weather cities when it comes to pro franchises that we have ever seen. And those who have their issues with the pro teams will not spend discretionary income on a bad product...

J-Hart has a huge point with the college omission and just drove a truck through the hole in the survey.

Recardo Wimbush Sought For Child Imprisonment

((HT: WSB-TV))

This story alternates in the HQ's consciousness between classless, weird, and just plain awful.

Former Georgia Tech and NFL linebacker Recardo Wimbush is being sought, along with his wife, on charges that they basically imprisoned their 13-year-old son in their basement for the better part of a year. Police say nine other children were upstairs. The teenage boy was locked in a small room in the basement that had a bucket, a box spring, and a mattress.

The arrest warrant says that Wimbush and his wife told officials that the teenager molested three of his siblings and that was why he was alone downstairs. The child responded that he lied about stealing a DVD player.

Here's FOSG Tony Thomas

The Wimbushes have until Friday to turn themselves in to authorities.

Hey, Look!!! A Bunch Of NFL People With Shovels And Hard Hats

((HT: 11Alive.com))

Who knew that you could coordinate the arrival of the NFL owners, the commissioner, and a bunch of politicos to wear shiny helmets and dig into a make-shift dirt box to have a ceremonial dirt-moving...???

Who knew, right...???

That stuff NEVER happens...

An amazing batch of coordination came together for an official ground-breaking for ground that had already been broken.

Here's Kevin Rowson at the soon-to-be old home of the Falcons where the owner and the important people had their moment...

The HQ admits it will be interesting to see if the new Falcons barn gets any consideration for the Roman Numeral Classic- considering the stigma the city and stadium still have from the last visit.

Why does this feel like an IOC pitch meeting from this moment forward...???

Falcons Looking Past Shembo's Past For Draft...? (UPDATED: Dimitroff Comfortable With It)

For the 139th overall pick in the 2014 draft, the Atlanta Falcons selected Prince Shembo from Notre Dame...

If the name strikes a chord, it comes from here...

Shembo acknowledged for the first time, back at the Scouting Combine in February, that he was at the heart of allegations made Lizzy Seeberg- a Saint Mary’s College student who committed suicide back in 2010 (pictured right, thanks WLS-TV).

Shembo also said at the combine that the university did not want him to speak on the issue. Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly, of course, denied this to the Chicago Tribune before spring practice started:

“We made a decision based upon the information we had. We felt it was in Prince’s best interest that this was not a matter that needed to be discuss. But that was certainly something he could have decided to discuss.

“We didn’t threaten him with he couldn’t play or we were going to put him on the bench or we were going to throw him out of school. It was still his decision.”

Sure, okay...

Shannon Ryan and Chris Hine's piece from practice says that Shembo maintained his innocence.

The Tribune reported in December 2010 (Stacy St. Clair and Todd Lighty's piece is here) that the family felt "betrayed" by the university lack of action over their daughter's complaint of a sexual attack.

On August 31, 2010, Seeberg was in Shembo's room alone and started to feel uncomfortable after friends of both Seeberg and Shembo left the room.

From St. Clair and Lighty:

Seeberg then described how she cried and her body froze as the alleged attack ensued. Her allegations did not describe penetration; the campus police log listed the complaint as an alleged sexual battery. Under Indiana law, a sexual battery is the unwanted touching of another person to satisfy one's own sexual desires.

The incident ended when the player's cell phone distracted him, Seeberg wrote.

Shortly afterward, the other couple returned.

Upon returning to her campus, Seeberg wrote a hand-written statement, documents show. She sought assistance the next morning from Belles Against Violence, a St. Mary's program that helps victims of sex crimes and whose name pays tribute to the nickname for the all-female student population. She also went to a hospital, where she reported the alleged attack to authorities and consented to a DNA evidence kit.

Through texting, Shembo's friend asked about the night before and the exchange included:

"Don't do anything you would regret," the text said. "Messing with notre dame football is a bad idea."

Seeberg forwarded the message to a campus detective within ten minutes. That same night, she sent a link of Shembo's player bio to university police with the header- "assault suspect"

Seeberg started suffering panic attacks and died September 10, 2010 from an overdose of prescription medication.
The question was even addressed by Chris Matthews
((HT: MSNBC))


The university seemed not to move swiftly in their investigation of the assault. And all the Seebergs were looking for were answers in a timely fashion- they still aren't seeming to get them even to this day...

Tom Seeberg, Lizzy's father, was interviewed Combine Week by The Game Radio in Chicago after Shembo's comments were made public. He said in part:

"I think the context of revealing his name maybe adds to maybe why we certainly accused Notre Dame of conducting a superficial investigation," Seeberg said. "But maybe it adds context to why they might conduct a superficial investigation. In a he-said-she-said matter, you can quickly gather forensic evidence to try to determine what happened there, or you can let it linger like they did. Let evidence spoil."

Todd Lighty and Rich Campbell's piece from the Tribune during Combine Week is here

Seeberg has maintained that the university pursued the Manti Te'o situation with more zeal and purpose than their daughter's case.

Which brings us back to the Atlanta Falcons...

All the front office really needs to say is that since Shembo was never charged- that's good enough for them...
But, what will their answer be...? Something more in-depth...?

The HQ doubts it... and for a franchise that prides itself in being a community-driven and respectful outfit, it's an odd selection- not because of need, but because of character...

SUNDAY UPDATE: Props to Vaughn McClure over at the four-letter for catching up with Thomas Dimitroff and asking:

The response still doesn't wash with the HQ...

"We're very, very aware of the seriousness of the incident," Dimitroff said. "Obviously, it's a sad situation for the young lady involved. We've done a lot of research at many levels from our security standpoint, from all the research that we did at Notre Dame. And he was never charged, never suspended from the team or the school.

"We've done our due diligence as far as making sure that we felt very comfortable with making that decision. Only glowing endorsements from the university. And again, pleased to have him a part of this organization going forward."

Of course, Shembo is getting glowing endorsements from the university that did virtually nothing to investigate...

Of course he is...

Roddy White Fails To Appear, Gets Arrested

Gwinnett County (GA) authorities arrested Atlanta Falcons WR Roddy White on "failure to appear" charges related to the tint on his windows- which was deemed to be illegal (translation: probably too dark)

.

White (pictured right, thanks MyFoxAtlanta/Gwinnett County Police Department) posted bond and was arrested in connection with a bench warrant from Recorders Court. The violation was recorded a year ago.

The Atlatna Falcons released a statement concerning the arrest on Tuesday morning:

"We are aware of the incident involving Roddy White. We anticipate this will be resolved shortly and we will have no further comment at this time."

More when we know more...

ICYMI: An Exciting, Imploding Week In The NFC Least...

((HT: NFL on FOX/NFL on CBS))

The Washington Redskins, inexplicably, went for two after scoring a touchdown with less than 20 seconds to go in regulation and pulled defeat from the jaws of overtime- losing in Atlanta 27-26...

QB Kirk Cousins did the team thing and fell on the sword for not getting the two-point conversion done...

“We just didn’t do enough to win,” Cousins said postgame. “Two interceptions that were on me. A fumble that you don’t want to have. The failed two-point conversion. That was on me. Those are four plays right there, that if they go differently, it’s probably a much better result.”

Dead head coach walking Mike Shanahan, decided he had had enough very quickly...
((HT: CSN Washington))


But that doesn't even to cover it...

Dallas was up 24-3 at the half and lost 37-36- the most prolific scorer on the day for the Cowboys was kicker Dan Bailey.

The biggest mistake of all the mistakes the Cowboys made in the second half was also the last mistake when Romo threw a pick that caused Dez Bryant to leave the field with 1:21 left in the game...

See...???


Dead head coach walking Jason Garrett threw his QB under the bus:

"The idea was to run the ball and make them use the clock; run it and if we throw it, throw high percentage passes, keep the clock going, and make them use their time outs," Garrett explained.

Romo changed the play...

"It's a run call that we have," Romo said. "We'll have it up three to five or six times a game. That specific time, obviously when I look back now, you should run the ball, because you throw an interception. You should never give them a chance to have the ball."

"It's something we have accompanying some runs if he gets a bad look; that's what happened on the interception," Garrett said. "It was run call, though, that he threw the ball on."

The fans had a meltdown of biblical proportions...
((HT: WFAA-TV))

Now, all that missing is Shea in Irving...

Falcons Bend To Jimmy Graham's Will...

And the goalpost at the Georgia Dome bent to Graham's will on his 44-yard TD catch and celebration


It took a while, but the Saints won their 43rd of the 89 games in the Saints-Falcons rivalry, 17-13...

The Most Atlanta Sports Night Ever: A Hard Luck Life

You know, I've been thinking about how to tell this story all day.



The biggest city in the south, home to teams in all the major sports. A town that is the new melting pot of the U.S. People come to Atlanta from all over the world to live, to play and enjoy life. Heck, movie's and TV shows are filming in Atlanta on a regular basis.

But for those who are from the city, there's a deep, not-so-dark secret.

Atlanta has come to stand for "Good, not great" sports.

Monday night, October 7th, 2013 in Atlanta, may have been the single worst night that any city has every experienced in the history of Sports.

Mind you there have been some pretty bad one's in the ATL.

In the late 80's, the Atlanta Braves were so bad, you could go to a game, starting with outfield seats and end up behind the 1st base dugout before the game was over.

Nobody was there. (look at the crowd shot about 1:00 in)



The Atlanta Falcons never had back-to-back winning seasons until 2009.

The AtlantaHawks, they traded away Hall-of-famer Dominique Wilkins in his prime, for Danny Manning. And have never played an NBA finals game as the Atlanta Hawks.

Never.

Atlanta had not 1, but 2 NHL teams. Both lasted a handful of years, both franchises left and moved to Canada.

You get the picture.

So, to have a night where in the span of two hours, the Braves get eliminated from the playoffs after giving up a game-winning 2 run home run in the 8th inning, with their best pitcher, Craig Kimbrel on the bench is not surprising.

Watching the Falcons get beat by a BAD New York Jets team with a rookie QB, 30-28 on a last second game-winning field goal drive is pretty bad.

Finding out that your star WR Julio Jones broke a bone in his foot and is out for the season is worse. Dealing with all this and the knowledge you are 1-4. Depressing.

And this doesn't even take into account the Hawks losing to the Miami Heat in an exhibition game.

Oh, and we didn't even mention the Georgia Bulldogs (yes, I know they are in Athens), who while barely beating a crappy Tennessee team in Knoxville, are now without 5 of their top 6 offensive players.

You get the picture.

For the Braves, it's just disappointing. They played well enough at times. They made the playoffs and had a shot at winning. At least in the 1st round.

But manager Fredi Gonzalez, who appeared to be a genius for starting a pitcher hauled off the scrap heap (Freddie Garcia), instantly became the goat, when he wouldn't warm up Kimbrel to prepare for a 2-inning save.

He paid the price for that when reliever David Carpenter gave up an 8th inning, 2-run homer to Juan Uribe.



Game over.

For the Falcons, yeah, it was pretty depressing. But it's nowhere close to your saddest day.

No, nothing will ever top the embarrassment of Bobby Petrino coaching you to a loss on Monday Night Football in 2007, then showing up later than night in Fayetteville, Arkansas hollering "Pig Sooey!!"



But this is pretty bad. Sure, the Falcons were probably a bit over-rated this year. No depth, weak on both sides of the line. This despite having Matt Ryan, Roddy White, Jones, Tony Gonzalez and Steven Jackson on your offense.

Let's be real: You were a 9-7 team at the start of the season. That should still be your goal.

As for the Hawks, well, yeah...um...well, if there were ever a poster child for "Good, not great", you'd be it.

5 straight years of playoffs. 0 Titles. And now, your stars are Al Horford and....uh...Paul Millsap?

Thanks for playing...

My point is this. People ridicule Atlanta fans for being bandwagon jumpers. And to some extent, it's not without warrant. But the fans in this town are a bit spoiled, kinda confused, and mostly--not from here.

So why would they suddenly become loyal to Atlanta teams? They aren't.

But for those who live here and those who love/follow the teams, it's heartbreak after heartbreak. It's always been that way. The Braves, while good, last won a playoff series in 2001.

The Falcons, while good, won their first playoff game in 7-years last season (2012).

The Hawks, yeah, they've won a couple of playoff games and even a series or two. But they've never been a title threat.

For me, I grew up a Braves fan. It's tough to see this. I know they probably will never be much more than what they are. Good, not great. Their ownership doesn't---scratch that---won't give them the resources the Yankees or Dodgers or Texas Rangers have. And that's ok.

The Falcons. I like them. I don't love them.

I like them because I covered them, for a long time. I know several people in the front office and they've always been kind to me. It's nice to see them win. Except when they play the Miami Dolphins, the team I grew up rooting for.

The Hawks, again, I like them. I like to see them do well. But they too, will never be more than what they are.

If you live or have lived in the Atlanta area, the one team that really, the entire area lives and dies with, it would be the University of Georgia.

But even they haven't won a National Title since 1980.

They've been close. And they may again be close this year.

But like every other team in this part of the country, for the most part, they are "Very good, but not great"...



((author note--"I've lived in Atlanta for over 12-years. I worked as a Sports Producer and Photographer for 10 of those years. Many of these miseries were experienced first hand))

Church Takes 8 Figures To Move For New Falcons Stadium

((HT: 11Alive.com))

It took $14.5-million and a 116-16 vote by the congregation, but it appears that the Mt. Vernon Baptist Church is taking the money and allowing the Falcons to move onto their space...

Here's the explanation:
Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed let this statement out and was positive towards Mt. Vernon Reverend Rodney Turner "I am pleased that the congregation of Mt. Vernon Baptist Church was able to vote on this important matter. The decision tonight ensures that the Atlanta Falcons can continue pursuing their goal of building a best-in-class sports facility that will also expand economic development not only in the city, but also in the surrounding neighborhoods. This step forward also will allow this historic church to relocate and continue to serve its congregation and our community."
Mt. Vernon and Friendship Baptist are the two churches in the southern end of the territory that is requested to build the new Falcons facility. The city of Atlanta and the Falcons have been the two groups putting money in the kitty. Mayor Reed has said that no taxpayer dollars are going to help pay for the new facility.

So, then, where does the city money come from if not from taxpayers in one way or another...???

Falcons New Stadium Site Down To One Idea

((HT: WSB-TV/AJC, Tucker))

Tim Tucker has been on top of this whole "the Atlanta Falcons need a new stadium thing..." and it has reached another stage...

The idea of the Atlanta Falcons new stadium (known here at HQ as the "Blank Tank" until further notice) is down to one site- until further notice...

The team had two sights under the looking glass- one south of the current Georgia Dome site that is developments and churches currently and one north of the Georgia Dome site that is RV parking lots and razed low-income apartments that now look like overgrown grass and concrete.

Now it appears that the southern site is out of play because not enough due diligence has been done and the property needed to start clearing land for construction that hasn't been acquired.

Oops...

Now, the northern site is in the cross hairs and it's time to see whether or not the city and the Falcons will make a point to get everything picked up and sorted out- or if they'll kick the tires on this site as well...

Until the political climate changes or political pressure mixes with pressure from the Falcons to do your damage or get off the toilet...

Here's the latest...
Two historical Atlanta churches were also supposedly raising an A-plus stink over what their perceived values was for reimbursement for their move at the center of the south site. The August 1st deadline is too close for anything to happen.

Now, the parking lots and razed housing projects will be getting their soil samples and similar tire kicking until further notice...

Atlanta Falcons New Training Camp Sandwich Could Kill You

((ht: atlantafalcons.com))

What is it they say about what doesn't kill you makes you stronger?

Or maybe the Atlanta Falcons are just trying to give training camp fans some extra calories to try and burn off in the 90+ degree heat?

Either way, just looking at a picture of their new training camp sandwich is making at least a few of our arteries clog.

The sandwich--which doesn't have a name yet--consists of: Pulled Pork, Mac and Cheese, Cole Slaw, Onion Rings and Bacon...on a bun.

No, we aren't kidding.

Here's the team's website describing it RIGHT HERE

For $5, the 1 1/2 lb sandwich, according to our friends at SB Nation who did the math, clocks in at over 1000 calories and will provide you with 68% of your recommended fat for the day along with 78% of your sodium.

Listen closely, those are your arteries talking to you.

It appears the Falcons are going to hold a contest at training camp, which starts July 25th to name said sandwich. And the thought of this behemoth is just plain scary.

Having covered the Falcons training camp for nearly 10-years, we can tell you first hand that it's pretty darn hot out there. Most days, if the sun's out, it's 90+ and the way the Flowery Branch facility is set up, there's not much in the way of shade.

We couldn't imagine eating one of these gut bombs and then sitting out in the hot, muggy north Georgia sun for a couple of hours. Just the idea of it sounds miserable.

But we have many friends who work for the team and they are near the OSG Global HQ. We wish them luck with this new creation, and as appetizing as this sort of looks, there's absolutely no chance we will ever be partaking in one.

Why Roddy White And Victor Cruz Need To Back Away From The Twitter

The Trayvon Martin verdict was put out there into the Twitterverse this evening...

And, as a news feed, we thought we'd show you this...

Atlanta Falcons WR Roddy White sent off this gem:

All them jurors should go home tonight and kill themselves for letting a grown man get away with killing a kid

After sending this gem:

Fucking Zimmerman got away with murder today wow what kind of world do we live in

Well, then...

Decide for yourself how you fall on the trial of George Zimmerman and the subsequent verdict, but what Roddy fired off was pole vaulting over a line of common sense that gets crossed more often than not these days in the era of social media...

It will be interesting to see how Roddy responds and how his employers feel about his thoughts at 140-words-per submission...

As an aside, newly minted Giants WR Victor Cruz sent off the following howitzer on his own:

"Thoroughly confused. Zimmerman doesn't last a year before the hood catches up to him."

Public apologies and retractions in 3, 2, 1...

Falcons Stadium Design Released: Looks Like Logan's Run Carousel

Renderings/atlantafalcons.newstadium.com

((ht: atlantafalcons.com))

Give the Atlanta Falcons credit, they managed to get the city of Atlanta to partner with them on a new football stadium and they are trying to think "Outside the Box".

Sort of.

Check out the rendering on your right. It's the design that's been approved by the team and the architect, 360 Architecture.

Looks sort of familar, at least to those of us old enough to remember this:

 

But maybe that's just us. (No, it's not gonna be that dark in the new place)


Either way, the $1 billion project is still early in the planning stages and part of the design includes such amenities as a giant video screen embedded into the retractable part of the roof, 70,000 seats including tons more club seating and uh...PSL's.

Yeah, surprisingly, your ticket prices are going up.

The Falcons promise that not all seats will have PSL's attached, but you can bet if they can get enough season ticket holders to fill the place up, they'll do exactly that.

Because OSG Global HQ is located in the Atlanta area, we do look forward to seeing this with our own eyes. And yes, despite our cynicism/narcissism regarding the whole thing, we'll go see a game or two there. (The Lovely Bride would never forgive me if we miss a Saints/Falcons game there)

Your Local TV News story from our friends at 11Alive.com:

The Audio Of 790TheZone Making Fun Of Steve Gleason (UPDATE: They've Been Fired And They're Responding- As Are The Falcons)

((HT: 790TheZone/106.1 The Ticket-NewOrleans))

Update--6:45pm: Lincoln Financial, owner of the station released a statement that included the mention of the three people involved have been terminated. OSG Sports will continue updating this story as it develops.

Here's the statement:

"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."

— Rick Mack, 790 The Zone Sr. VP & General Manager

Here's the two minutes...thanks to chria225


And here's a little cleaner version...


Here's the recap from the front office on the suspensions...

"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. 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."

Rick Mack 790 The Zone Sr. VP & General Manager

OSG sources are telling us that the Atlanta Falcons received a phone call from the NFL over the bit. The future relationship the Falcons have with 790 is in play. The current relationship was somewhat dicey and acrimonious to begin with and this may seal it. There, simply, has to be a clause in the contract having to be the equivalent of a "morals" or "breach" to end the airings.

Sources also say the team has been looking for an excuse to get out of the deal, and this will do it.

The media relations departments all know each other and could black ball their coverage across the board and render them useless as a media entity in town.

Currently, they are an ESPN Radio affiliate, but on-air talent in Bristol this afternoon has taken the station to task with one host saying: "Whoever greenlighted this is the biggest idiot ever born."

More when we know more...

1920 UPDATE: Rodney Ho from the AJC caught up with Cellini and Shapiro...

Shapiro admits that he, as someone who went to school in New Orleans, admitted the bit was "ill-advised."

Cellini, on the other hand, thinks he was let go unceremoniously. He told Ho that Lincoln Financial wasn't investing in the station, and that "he said he got a response from Gleason through a third party and heard that he was okay with the apology that he gave." Where that apology was given is unclear, but if it's the Twitter apology that might be a bit of a reach.

From the article:

The dismissal, despite the circumstances, came as "a relief, really," Cellini said. "That station is a sinking ship."
His contract, he said, was up in November and he figured even then, it wouldn't have been renewed.

Ultimately, this was an excuse, Cellini said, for the station to cut salary and insert a cheaper syndicated morning show, Cellini said. "Mike & Mike" will likely be on tomorrow morning.

From Cellini's Twitter as of 1830:

No one made me apologize earlier, no one made me reach out. I was ignorant and it was the right thing to do. Got what I deserved..

An update: we all got wacked. I apologized to Michel Gleason, she understands it was a stupid joke. I'll do my best to help Team Gleason

Ho is still waiting to hear from Dimino...

Steak Shapiro posted the following on his Twitter feed:

What is so ironic is that I went to Tulane, love New Orleans and love the @steve_gleason story, what a moronic 2 mins, I am truly sorry....

18 yrs ago @chrisdimino named the radio station, I helped start it, today it ends but so grateful, hate if I disappointed anyone....

I love the people and city of New Orleans, always have, always will, @team_gleason I will work tirelessly to make this up to you....

Actually, what happened today has nothing to do with irony...

It's poor judgment...
Very poor judgment...

And there are a certain amount of people that will think the only reason you're truly sorry is that you got caught...
Nationally...

2130 UPDATE: The Falcons came out with a statement of their own...

“The Falcons are disappointed in the comments made about former Saints player Steve Gleason on a local Atlanta radio station Monday morning. The content concerning Mr. Gleason was completely inappropriate and is not representative of the views of the Falcons organization, nor does it represent the way we conduct our business on and off the field. To single out Steve the way he was this morning is totally lacking in taste and discretion.”

2145 UPDATE: Dimino addressed the situation on his Twitter feed...

Don't reach out to all the people I need to. I am in that process as we speak. Friends and family and most importantly those I know I hurt

I have so.many people I have to apologize to. I know this is not who I am...but it is who I am today. An apology here means nothing if I...

Every reference to the three and the show including bios, excerpts, and promotion have been removed from the 790TheZone website...

Atlanta Sports Shock Jocks Make Fun Of Steve Gleason... (UPDATED: Suspended Indefinitely, Firing Might Be Easier Than Before, NFL Contacts Falcons)

Full disclosure on two fronts: The HQ is a member of Team Gleason and supports ALS research...

So, this morning on Atlanta morning-drive sports talk radio...

790 The Zone is an ESPN Radio affiliate, but they do their own morning show from 6-10AM...

They've done it for years, and at times, it can be funny... but, honestly, we're talking years ago...

This morning, however, they were not...

In a bit at their half-way point, they decided to do a bit making fun of New Orleans Saints player Steve Gleason and his battle with the disease...

((NB: We're waiting for audio to surface so we can publicly ridicule them))

Word started on the LSU message board, "Tiger Droppings," and has made its way back to Scott Fujita and his Twitter:

I'm going to reserve judgement until I hear this morning's playback from @790TheZone. But right now I'm enraged.

Sources close to OSG HQ say that the segment idea began since Steve Gleason did Peter King’s article this week on SI.com. He said he now has to communicate using his eyes and is unable to speak. They then said could you imagine trying to interview him on a radio show...

And the bit started...

One of the jocks, Nick Cellini came out with this idea on his Twitter feed:

we took a shot, it backfired. Live and learn...

Really...???
Live and learn...???

Learn this, gentlemen...
((HT: Fox 6))


NOON UPDATE: Cellini followed his first Tweet with this one:

My apologies to everyone. It was a stupid attempt at humor that backfired. Emphasis on stupid.

Thanks for that... and thanks for jokes like this one...

Knock knock
who's there?
smother
smother who?
smother me, do me a favor

If only the ALS community could do that to your on-air signal...

1315 UPDATE: The hosts have been suspended indefinitely... according to Rick Mack- 790 The Zone Sr. VP & General Manager


1445 UPDATE: From Pro Football Talk

One of the hosts of the "Mayhem" show, "Steak" Shapiro was widely thought of as an owner of the place- which would have made it difficult to fire himself.

But Shapiro and Andrew Saltzman sold their equity stake to Lincoln Financial in 2010.
Lincoln Financial took the assets from Shapiro and Saltzman's Big League Broadcasting since Big League's foray into St. Louis sports talk was a financial money pit and abject failure- and they, probably, could use the financial rescue.

From the AJC's Rodney Ho at the time of the sale:

“Owning your own company is extremely rewarding,” Shapiro said. “We decided to trade in the day-to-day stress for the security of a great job at a great company.”

Here’s Saltzman in the press release:

“We have accomplished a great deal as entrepreneurial broadcasters, and this acquisition allows 790 The Zone to compete at an even higher level,” said Saltzman. “I am pleased with the development of this strategic partnership.”

Just how much longer they're partners will be interesting to see...

1500 UPDATE: Sources close to the 790 situation are saying that the National Football League has contacted the Atlanta Falcons over what happened this morning. 790TheZone is part of the Atlanta Falcons radio network.

They are also part of the Georgia Tech radio network, but no response has come from the Flats as of yet...

ICYMI: Falcons Going for Futuristic Looking Stadium

Give the Atlanta Falcons credit for aiming high.

The team got city approval for a deal to build a new stadium just a few weeks ago and on Tuesday, they named the architect. That architect, 360 Architecture, based in Kansas City, came to the table with some shall we say "Interesting" ideas of what the new "Retractable Roof" stadium should look like.

This is one idea on the right. It looks a little like the coliseum in the movie Logan's Run.



Concept two is to the left here, it's called "The Solarium". And basically, for lack of a better way to put it, it looks like a big greenhouse.

There's no guarantee the Falcons will choose either of these looks, they were both just concepts brought to the table by 360 to get the discussion started.

Either way, the project is budgeted at somewhere near $1 billion, with $700 million allocated for the stadium. 360 Architecture designed Met Life Stadium in New Jersey for the Giants/Jets, and the Falcons, according to team President Rich McKay, have stressed they want something "Unique" and a "New" fan experience.

Which is all well and good....if you'll be able to afford a ticket. Unlike many, we understand the Falcons wanting a new yard. And the fact that they are footing 70% of the cost is a good step. They want to increase their revenues, in which they are in the bottom 20's in the league. We get that. But ticket prices are going up and they've already gone on record saying they'll use Personal Seat Licenses for many tickets.

Great, if you can afford it. But try telling a family of four that want to come to one game, they'll have to fork over $65 per ticket, another $20 to park and assorted costs for concessions and you've got one of the many reasons the NFL is having trouble getting people off their couches in front of their HDTV's and in the stadium.


WXIA-TV gives a look at what's going on:

DEVELOPING: Atlanta City Council Approves Stadium Vote

((HT: My Fox Atlanta))

Not that this is a surprise or anything...

The Atlanta City Council voted 11-4 to approve the amended resolution authorizing the "extension and use of the hotel-motel tax to partially fund the new stadium."

Council members Kwanza Hall, Alex Wan, Howard Shook and Felicia Moore voted against. The new facility, complete with a retractable roof, is expected to cost $1 billion. Of that total price tag, $200 million will be funded by hotel-motel tax revenue.

Two churches will need to be moved to make way for the Blank Tank- and negotiations will start sometime in the near future. The HQ hears that the two "are open to listening to the Falcons."

Translation: "Pay the man..."

Here's the latest...
Atlanta News, Weather, Traffic, and Sports | FOX 5

The Tank is scheduled to be open for the 2017 Falcons season...