From the Cincinnati Enquirer’s John Kiesewetter.
After 18 years on WLW-AM (700), in which he offended many listeners with his bombastic comments, a public dispute with a Bengals player cost Andy Furman (above, 2nd from left) his job. Furman, 56, was fired Wednesday, nearly three weeks after being suspended with pay on Oct. 13 for calling wide receiver T.J. Houshmandzadeh a “racist” during the station’s weeknight “SportsTalk” show on Oct. 6.
The remark came a day after Furman had ripped the player on the air for missing a paid appearance that night on “SportsTalk” during the team’s bye week.
The decision came from Clear Channel’s corporate headquarters in San Antonio, Texas, and not from the Kenwood-based station, says Janet Abary, Furman’s attorney. Houshmandzadeh’s attorney had contacted the San Antonio office after the incident.
Furman’s attack on Houshmandzadeh was the latest in Furman’s controversial career, during which he had angered Reds and Bengals management and players, university coaches and presidents, and listeners.
On Oct. 6, Furman said on the air that Houshmandzadeh had called him a “punk-ass white boy.”
Houshmandzadeh denied making the remark.
“I told him, ‘Andy Furman, you can —- yourself.’ That’s the bottom line. And he twisted it into all whatever he wants to,” Houshmandzadeh said several days later. “What he did was wrong. … This time he took it too far.”
ike Honold was listening to Furman on his drive home from work on Oct. 6 – as he has for 18 years – and thought the host was “particularly over the top” on Houshmandzadeh.
“If he was lying about it, he should be fired – particularly since he said it about such a big customer on the station, the Bengals,” said Honold, 44, of Cheviot.
>Furman’s firing was cheered by Sheri Edmundson-Wood, 32, of Anderson Township, who called it “a very, very long time coming.” She has disliked him since 1990, when Furman called her a “slut.” He made the remark when Edmundson-Wood, then 16, had called to wish Furman’s co-host at the time, Cris Collinsworth, a belated happy birthday.
Bob Burgett of Fairfield Township also supported WLW-AM’s decision. He was shocked to hear Furman on Oct. 5 encourage listeners to spit on Houshmandzadeh’s jerseys because he had failed to appear on “SportsTalk” that night.
“That was more than just talking smack. It was hateful and unprofessional,” said Burgett, 43.
But longtime friend Tom Dinkel – a former broadcast partner and former Bengals linebacker – said he was disappointed at the news.
“Bill Cunningham says stuff twice as bad on a daily basis – he had offended almost every ethnic group in this city – and he doesn’t get touched,” said Dinkel, who co-hosted “Sunday Morning Sports- Talk” with Furman for 15 years.
I am so glad that Furman is gone…for as long as I can remember I have changed the station whenever I heard Furman OR Cunningham on the air. In fact I could only read about the incident as there was no way in hell I was listening at that time slot. McConnell (?) I can deal with. WLW has had no chance of my participation during Mid-Afternoon or Sports Talk Times with Furman so maybe I will give them another chance now…even though I think listening to Seg Dennison is like attempting to listen to someone that is mentally challenged. Cunningham is so sadistic (in his verbal abuse of Dennison), transparent and, such a complete idiot that I retch every time I hear his voice. This comment comes from a Conservative, Patriotic American that supports our Military and our President.
If the alleged story about TJ does turn out to be true (and I hope not as I love to watch his style of play) I will have no tolerance for that either because racism from anyone Black or White is against my Code of Ethics.
Why is it that we can’t point the finger of racism at a minority? Just wondering.
who says you can’t? It seems that’s just what Furman did. But there’s the whole distinction between racist behavior / speech, and actual, institutionalized racism. Disparging Furman as a punk-ass white boy might be racist (or at least anti-punk ass). But there’s no institutionalized / society-wide school of thought that denies white radio yacksters their civil rights, equal pay for equal work, etc.