After news broke early Tuesday evening of the untimely death of former Major League pitching great Roy Halladay, TMZ Sports released video footage of Halladay’s final moments the following morning.
The video was shot by boaters who say Halladay was repeatedly flying from 100 to five feet in the air.
According to TMZ.com, one boater said Halladay was flying erratically “all week”.
Take a look at the video:
Later on Wednesday after these developments became public, Michael Felger, co-host of the popular afternoon radio show Felger and Mazz, went on a long rant about the circumstances regarding Halladay’s death.
Felger spoke for nearly 11 minutes, with very little interruption from co-host Tony Massarotti. Felger mocked Halladay, calling him an “idiot” and “moron” several times before dropping the line that everyone’s talking about today:
“He got what he deserved.”
More outrageous takes were made by Felger during his rant, which many people are calling offensive, insensitive, and disrespectful. Take a look:
It really doesn't get much lower than what Mike Felger had to say about Roy Halladay's death. Just awful. https://t.co/BszO0HWmol pic.twitter.com/hpZMgOXEtB
— Sopan Deb (@SopanDeb) November 8, 2017
To no one’s surprise, Felger’s comments sparked outrage on social media:
https://twitter.com/KYouk_2036/status/928435881223974912
@FelgerAndMazz Felger is an embarrassment to Boston, the United States and all media. This no good piece of crap should end up living in a dumpster because he IS garbage. 280 characters still isnt enough to vent how much I despise that scumbag. Shame on you! #FireFelger
— Ben Goldenthal (@BenGoldenthal) November 9, 2017
Michael Felger is the biggest piece of shit. Jesus #Boston has been really shitting humans lately. Mocking Roy Halladay’s death? Fuck you @michaelFelger you classless piece of shit. #FireFelger #RIPDocHalladay
— David Diligiro (@ChefDave132) November 9, 2017
@985TheSportsHub You need to fire Michael Felger. His comments on Roy Halladay were absolutely disgusting and disrespectful.
— B Mac (@Lamont_Bear) November 8, 2017
They should probably go ahead and cancel @FelgerAndMazz
— Brett Anderson (@BAnderson3737) November 9, 2017
Michael Felger is a loser. Plain and simple. I’ve been saying it for years. Hopefully his recent antics are wake up call for the rest of New England. Fire him.
— José Youngs (@JoseYoungs) November 8, 2017
It’s true that Halladay appeared to be flying erratically. However, that doesn’t mean he deserved to die. That’s just my take. No one deserves to die for doing what they love doing- unless that love is committing horrendous crimes. Let’s limit those deserving of death to the true dirtbags and flesh of the world, such as rapists, child molesters, and serial killers. Not a guy just trying to have some fun in his plane.
While the hashtag #FireFelger was trending in the aftermath of the incident, I personally don’t think Felger should lose his job for what he said. It’s true that he went over the top. Especially when he mocked Dale Earnhardt’s death in 2001 by saying he “roots for the wall” in NASCAR. That took it too far. You’re really gonna root for death? Please Felger. I honestly don’t think he truly believes that, because that’s outrageous. By that logic, he must’ve been hoping that Nik Wallenda fell off that tightrope in 2013. Or any other individual who plays a sport that no doubt includes risks- gets hurt, or dies.
Felger wanted the moment, the spotlight, and his co-hosts let him have it. That’s pretty much how things work at Felger and Mazz anyway, so the fact no one jumped in isn’t shocking. Felger’s known for being theatrical and as some say, a “drama queen”, and it’s not surprising he ranted for 11 minutes about Halladay the way he did. And the day after his death too? That’s one of the most Felger things we’ve seen yet. Wasting NO time.
Like it or not, the cold-hard truth is that this is how things work in sports radio. People are paid to say outrageous things; things that are bound to get people fired up and calling in. That’s how ratings increase. As long as what’s said isn’t blatantly bigoted- homophobic, racist, sexist, or something along those lines- I don’t support the termination of a sports radio host for saying something that someone or many people don’t like. Maybe a mini suspension, sure. That’s happened before. But that’s all it’s ever going to be in this business over some mean little comments.
So while I didn’t agree with anything Felger said, I do support his right to say how he felt without getting fired. He got carried away, and went into full Felger mode; but again- it wasn’t anything discriminatory or something meant to truly hurt a group of people. Unless you’re Halladay’s family, and Felger mentioned on his show the next day that he feels awful when Halladay’s family comes to mind. That’s the group that’s hurting the most in all of this.
What Felger said was stupid, yes. But none of it was bigoted. So that should be kept in mind. All it was, was a totally bizarre rant and take that offended some people. Which is pretty much the job of a sports radio host anyway. Besides Felger’s got way too much seniority in Boston at this point to get fired over something he said about a dead athlete. If it was a brand new guy? It’s a matter of knowing your place. We’re talking Felger here though.
You’re not being forced to listen to the radio. If you hear something you don’t like, change the station.
Radio hosts- especially ones in sports- don’t live to please you.