All is fun and games until someone crosses the line. WFAN midday host Brandon Tierney believes Jon ‘Stugotz’ Weiner crossed that line by talking about replacing people on the station while on the radio station filling in for Boomer Esiason with Gregg Giannotti on WFAN. Come to find out, Stugotz agrees with Tierney and also believes he went too far.
After much discussion and consternation from Gio and Stugotz about whether or not they should play this out on the air, Tierney came into the studio and Giannotti got things started by saying, “Let’s set the scene here. Brandon Tierney is in the studio. I was told by multiple people that Brandon hates Stugotz. And Brandon has the opportunity to either stamp that or refute it…So, where do we stand with this man here?”
“Well, I don’t hate him, let me just get that out there,” Tierney said. “I don’t know him, so I certainly don’t hate anybody that I don’t know…Do I love him coming in here all the time talking about other people’s jobs? No, I don’t.”
“You’re right, I agree with you,” Stugotz replied.
Tierney added, “And, you know, that needs to be said. By the way, I appreciate your love for the station. I do, I really do. Because I was the same way growing up. But to me, there is a way, and this is a twisted business. And I’m not a radio beef guy, I don’t play that nonsense. If somebody doesn’t like me, I don’t care…But coming on our turf and being so free with people’s jobs. Somebody’s got to speak up and defend the station.”
Stugotz continued to agree with what Tierney was saying. “No, I want to be honest with you, you’re right,” Stugotz said. “Everything you’re saying is right. In fact, a caller called in and asked us about it two days ago, and I said, ‘I’m a horrible person.’ That’s what I said to him.”
“I wouldn’t go that far, but it was a pretty brazen move,” Tierney replied.
“I went too far,” Stugotz replied. “And so, I apologize. I apologize to Sal and I apologize to you. Now, my show, Le Batard and the crew, they’re not going to be happy because they want to escalate the beef. I don’t want to escalate a beef with you because I’m intimidated by you and I’m scared.
“No, but I realized as I was doing the PD stuff with Oliviero that I had taken some of the conversation too far. And there was no need to do that.”
Giannotti added, “And by the way, as much as I would love to make this explode more and I’ll be honest about that, he has said that off the air. He has told me he took it too far.”
Evan Roberts, host of Evan & Tiki with Tiki Barber is the person who gets mentioned most when Stugotz has talked about the position he would want if he were on WFAN. He clarified, however, that it has nothing to do with Roberts, it has everything to do with hosting the afternoon slot on WFAN.
“They’re asking me, you know, what job did you want?” said Stugotz. “I’m saying it’s Evan Roberts. I don’t want Evan’s job…he’s just a symbol for what it is that I want. He’s occupying the space that I want.”
As they concluded, Tierney explained again to Stugotz, “Look at the things that this guy said on our station that has gone relatively unchecked. It’s got to get checked a little bit, but I appreciate you saying what you said. We’re good.”
