Mike Francesa will rip just about anybody, including colleagues, and Craig Carton isn’t immune to his vitriol.
WFAN’s Carton and Francesa traded barbs on Wednesday with Carton taking Francesa to task for his choice of words about former Giants star Lawrence Taylor on his show Tuesday, and Francesa responding later on in his show.
Carton said Francesa was excusing Taylor’s behavior in an incident in 2010 in which the legendary linebacker was charged with felony statutory rape after having sex with a 16-year-old girl he knew was a prostitute but claimed to be of legal age.
Francesa’s response: “The idea that I would in any way condone any of those actions is such an affront to me I was just so annoyed, because really, you say something, I don’t care. You get on me for something I got wrong, well, I’m not perfect. I get some things wrong. Not a lot, but some things. It’s going to happen. When you get on me for the Sweeny [Murti] thing, falling asleep [on the air], fine. I took my medicine for that for months. I didn’t say a word.
“But if you’re going to try to in any way hint or say that I said something offensive or that I, in some way, protected L.T. against his horrific actions — nonsense. Go back and listen, and then you can apologize. Because I didn’t say anything. That’s already been [confirmed] by everybody who listened to it today. [Mark] Chernoff … people in corporate. I didn’t say one thing. I said I don’t condone or defend anything he did.
“All I said was he’s not a pedophile. That’s all. That’s it,” Francesa added. “Then you judge him for yourself, and that’s what I know from that case to be the truth. If someone can point out errors for me that is in any way different, bring it to me and I will have a different opinion. But the idea that I would condone anything like that is outrageous and it really, really bothered me.
“I didn’t get into it earlier in the show because of the day it is [Sept. 11]. And then we had the Yankee [moving to WFAN] stuff. I didn’t want to get in the way of that. Then we had the Jeter stuff. But I just wanted to point it out, because you know what, I’ve been doing this a long time and I’ve always tried to give you a very classy show and I’ve always tried to do things right and with very high priority and that goes for everything I say, too.
“When we’re talking about opinions or getting angry, hey, listen, that’s sports. That’s when we have fun. That’s what we want to do. But about something like this? Not funny. It’s not fun. And I really was taken aback by it. And frankly it was already shown to everybody that I didn’t say it. I don’t think it and I didn’t say it. And I was very offended by it.”
Though Carton, who has made a habit of criticizing Francesa, didn’t mention Francesa’s name, he accused the popular talk show host of “as offensive as any comment that has ever been uttered on this radio station.”
Esiason piled on, saying based on what Carton said, Francesa’s remarks were “asinine.” Like Carton, Esiason didn’t mention Francesa’s name.
While Francesa did say Taylor was “in the wrong place at the wrong time,” he also noted he felt Taylor’s actions were “wrong” and “a very bad mistake.” Taylor pleaded guilty to two misdemeanors — soliciting sex from a prostitute and sexual misconduct — and was sentenced to six years’ probation. He also has been forced to register as a sex offender.
Here is a transcript of what Boomer and Carton said Wednesday morning:
Carton: “It was said on this radio station yesterday when talking about Lawrence Taylor, that Lawrence Taylor’s latest brush with the law when he had the underage hooker and was going to go to jail for a long time for it and is now on the sex offender list, it was uttered on the radio yesterday that Lawrence didn’t know he was breaking the law, wasn’t looking for an underage girl and quote unquote he was merely in the wrong place at the wrong time. Memo to those who think that way …”
Boomer: “So in other words, if he calls a pimp and asks for a hooker, no matter what age it is, it’s still trafficking in women and sex objects.”
Carton: “You’re very much aware you’re breaking the law.”
Boomer: “Obviously you’re very much aware of it.”
Carton: “I know a lot of people are blind fans of a team. I’m that way with some teams as well. But when a guy who’s already a bad guy calls up a hooker and the hooker turns out to be 14 years old, or whatever she was, and still forces himself on her sexually, that is not a guy at the wrong place at the wrong time. That is a bad person who is breaking a law and taking advantage of a young girl who’s being forced into what amounts to sexual slavery. Let’s not mistake what that was or what that is, and making excuses for Lawrence Taylor, that he was merely in the wrong place at the wrong time, is as offensive as any comment that has ever been uttered on this radio station.”
Boomer: “Can I ask you who actually made the statement?”
Carton: “I was taking my kids to school all day yesterday, so I can’t really answer that. I just want to say that I heard it, and the fact that someone could have that mindset …”
Boomer: “So you heard it?”
Carton: “I heard it myself.”
Boomer: “So you’re accurate in your statement. If in fact you heard it yourself then I’ll take your word for it.”
Carton: “I heard it.”
Boomer: “It’s asinine.”
Carton: “He was in the wrong place at the wrong time. It ain’t like you walk into a 7-Eleven and something goes down and we had to do something. You waited at the Holiday Inn for the hooker to show up.”
Boomer: “You picked up the phone and you called somebody and said, get me something right now.”
Carton: “Right!”
Boomer: “What a joke.”