Sports Radio host Dan Sileo is no stranger to controversy. He was fired 11 months ago from WDAE in Tampa after referring to three African American NFL Free Agents as “Monkeys” and earlier this year he was suspended for two days for tweeting that Erin Andrews should “get off the sideline and do porn”.
Yesterday, Sileo was fired by Miami radio station WQAM and today we are finding out the reason. Sileo made a disparaging remark about himself, saying he was cheap because he is half Jewish. I contacted the people at the Anti Defamation League of Florida who stated that they received constituent complaints that Sileo’s remarks propagated a negative stereotype of the Jewish community. The ADL filed a complaint with WQAM management, and that complaint was the ultimate tipping point that led to Sileo’s termination.
With no prior history, the comment itself may have just resulted in a slap on the wrist, but when you factor in all his recent transgressions, the decision to terminate him was made.
Radio guys are like basketball coaches, no matter how many times they get fired they always seem to be rehired somewhere else. In this case it will be interesting to see if a guy with racism, sexism and antisemitism on his resume in the last year will be able to find work going forward.
Sileo mentioned on twitter that his comments were ultimately the reason he was fired.
@1true_story not true..WDAE was insubordinstion and this one was for saying i was have hebrew
— BONECRUSHERDan Sileo (@DanSileoShow) March 5, 2013
He has continued to state throughout the day that his grandmother is Jewish and mentioning that as the reason he is not like other former NFL players who are broke. Like I said earlier, by itself, its a comment that ruffles some feathers and maybe sees him having to give a public apology or sit out a day. Unfortunately for him, this grain of salt was the one that tipped the scale.
In true Sileo form, he is not going out gracefully. He is trashing the station and several of his former coworkers and management.