Boston radio host apologizes for insensitive comments about Roy Halladay's death
After making some unbelievably dumb comments about former baseball pitcher Roy Halladay on Wednesday, Boston radio host Michael Felger addressed the situation Thursday.
Felger began his show — which airs on 98.5 The Sports Hub — by offering an apology for his words. CBS Boston has a transcript of his opening comments.
“In a nutshell I would say that I feel bad about what happened on a lot of levels. I feel bad about what I said and how I conducted myself. To say it was over the top and insensitive is really stating the obvious. It was obviously those things,” Felger said to start the show.
“I could come in and say ‘I apologize if I offended anyone,’ but that’s fake and hollow and everyone hates that, don’t you? Isn’t that the worst, when someone comes in and says that?” he continued. “Besides the only folks that I would really want to extend that to are the loved ones of Halladay. They’re the ones dealing with enough right now not to have to have me come over the top and do what I did yesterday. So, sorry doesn’t do that justice as it relates to them. That one’s going to stick with me for a while, as it relates to them.”
He went on to apologize to his coworkers for putting them in a tough position. He also said his Dale Earnhardt comment, in which he said “I root for the wall,” was insensitive.
He then finished up by saying there are things he stands behind from Wednesday and things he does not stand behind. He specifically puts the Earnhardt comment in the latter category, but does not provide any more insights regarding Halladay.
“I meant part of what I said yesterday, and there were parts I didn’t mean. It was just dumb hyperbole. The Earnhardt thing falls in that second category. That was just dumb hyperbole. I didn’t mean that,” Felger said. “There is stuff that I did mean, but the presentation and the tone and the hyperbole was just low class, bad, not good. I don’t feel good about it.
“I regret my conduct yesterday. I believe what I believe, I do, but the tone and the hysterics were really uncalled for. To say ‘inappropriate and over the line’ is just stating the obvious, they’re clearly those things and it really goes without saying,” he reiterated. “I have no defense, I have no explanation. I’m not asking for any sympathy or a break or anything. … What I’ve gotten, I’ve deserved. I’ve deserved what I’ve gotten in the last day or so.”
Halladay died Tuesday after his plane crashed into the Gulf of Mexico. He was 40. Halladay carved out an exceptional career with the Toronto Blue Jays and Philadelphia Phillies, winning two Cy Young awards and making eight All-Star teams over 16 seasons. He got his pilot’s license after he retired, and was an avid flyer.
TMZ obtained video of Halladay’s plane flying erratically moments before his death. That footage prompted Felger and his co-host Tony Massarotti to discuss the accident.
During that segment, Felger referred to Halladay as a “moron,” an “idiot,” said he “had no sympathy” for the former pitcher and concluded that Halladay “got what he deserved.”
Halladay’s death inspired an outpouring of support from Major League Baseball and those around the game. The Phillies, Chase Utley and Charlie Manuel were among those who wrote heartfelt messages extolling Halladay’s virtues as a person, teammate and husband.
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Chris Cwik is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at christophercwik@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Chris_Cwik
