Exactly a year ago, 790/The Zone's morning show was about to lose their jobs over a two-minute bit that went viral and was deemed tasteless.
Was it worth them losing their jobs? That's debatable.
Nick Cellini came up with a bit where he would play Steve Gleason, a former NFL football player suffering from ALS. He played Gleason as a robotic voice. Steak Shapiro and Chris Dimino went along with it. Nick made a couple of bad knock-knock jokes and soon cut the bit short, aware it wasn't exactly comedy gold.
In most cases, such a moment would have been quickly forgotten in the FM ether. But a New Orleans Saints fan posted info about the bit on an alumni site and it was Tweeted out by a former Gleason teammate. Quickly, it started to spread around the Web. Feedback was not good. Management quickly suspended them. Then the audio leaked out and by the end of the workday, they were gone.
All three men have paid penance in different formats. Shapiro apologized on CNN. Cellini was angry at first but soon reached out to Gleason's family and has been active in ALS charity work since. Dimino was the most diffident and went through a lot of mental anguish over the situation.
Dimino was the first one to get a radio job back per se in the fall but he had an eight-month non-compete so couldn't return on air until March on rival station 680/The Fan. He is now part of the Rude Awakening. Shapiro kept working on his burgeoning Atlanta Eats media operation on TV and radio and nabbed a judging job on a Food Network show before landing a mid-morning gig at 680/The Fan earlier this year.
In other words, those two landed on their feet.
Cellini has struggled to find a new radio gig. He has done some sub work for the Fan. Today, he posted the following eloquent note about his ordeal on Facebook:
June 17 was the day after Father's Day. My daughter was in town from Cleveland, we had our annual vacation scheduled for the following week, as it turned out I was sent on a permanent vacation.
I wish I knew what I was thinking that morning, I really can't wrap my head around it to this day. My career was heading in the right direction. I'd recently done an audition for ESPN radio, and a second one was scheduled. My television career was taking off again as well.
Now, it's all gone. Will it return? I don't know. My colleagues have returned to work, and deservedly so. There's no one to blame but me.
The silver lining? Well there's a few. I got to spend time with my five year old. Coaching him in baseball, taking him swimming, teaching him how to ride a bike. I did all of these things that I didn't get the chance to do with my other children because I was too selfish, too self absorbed. Hearing him say "you're the best dad in the world!!" melts my heart.
I also got a chance to drive to New Orleans with my good friend Ray. We met the Gleason family, they forgave. It's was a powerful moment touring the ALS facility that Steve is building in that city, only the second of it's kind in the country. Steve himself pranked me back via telephone, saying "it started with a prank, might as well end it with one."
I got to meet Bernie Sotola, a realtor with Keller-Williams. His father in law Ed recently lost his battle with ALS. While he was still alive, I was invited to be a member of his team at the Atlanta ALS walkathon. He forgave. His mother in law, despite seeing her beloved husband slip away a little more day by day, was always the first to embrace me with a smile. I think that Chris Dimino hit the nail right on the head when he said that "these people don't have time to be angry." That statement always brings tears to my eyes.
I really don't know if I'll ever get the chance to work again. Would I love to? Absolutely. Am I a better man? I'd like to think so. All I need is the chance to prove it.
I've been forgiven by the people I've offended the most. Some people will never forgive. All I can say to them is I pray that if they ever stumble, that people are there to pick them up like the Gleasons and Sotolas and countless others did with me.
In the meantime, I keep moving forward. I'll walk with the Sotolas again in September and I'd encourage you to do the same. I'll continue to try to be the husband and father that my family deserves. I need to show my kids that it's ok to make a mistake, it's how you correct it and learn from it that counts.
Thank you all for the kind words over this past year. I'm not sure that I deserve it, but I'll never forget it. Just remember the families out there who are suffering and battling. My challenges are minuscule compared to theirs. Give what you can and give back what you can. In the end, that's all that matters.
Be well...
Nick
And 790/The Zone? It was dying and just recently gave up local programming in favor of all ESPN syndicated work. It's what Cellini predicted the day he was fired but that has to be small solace.
As he noted in his letter, though, he has learned a lot from the experience and grown from it. So good things come out of bad situations.
