Suspended WDAE-AM sports radio jock Dan Sileo returned to the airwaves today

Dan Sileo, the Tampa sports radio jock suspended last week after Clear Channel Radio retracted statements he made about the possible sale of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, returned to the airwaves on WDAE-AM 620 this morning without speaking on the drama behind his departure.

Clear Channel executives appear to be hoping they can pretend the whole incident never happened, declining to comment in detail about their discussions with Sileo or how they decided the broadcaster would keep his job.

Sileo was suspended from the station's morning drive time program Oct. 29, after declaring on air that the Tampa Bay Buccaneers might be sold because the owners had lost more than $400-million with disgraced financier Bernard Madoff.

The report rocketed across the media world, including WFLA-AM, the St. Petersburg Times' Web site, the sports blog Deadspin and WTSP-Ch. 10.

Buccaneers co-chairman Joel Glazer responded with an uncharacteristically strong public statement on behalf of his family, saying ""The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are not, nor have they ever been for sale. In addition, our family or any of our related companies have never invested one penny with Bernie Madoff.

"The report is baseless, irresponsible and slanderous. This type of behavior by Mr. Sileo and his company Clear Channel will be dealt with in the appropriate manner.” The implication of legal action sent ripples through the local sports community; later that day, Clear Channel announced Sileo's suspension, posting a retraction on WDAE's Web site which apologized and called his report "factually incorrect."

Dan DiLoreto, Tampa market manager for Clear Channel Radio, said Monday Sileo was out-of-his depth in passing on information about the Glazers he said came from an unnamed friend working with the Securities and Exchange Commission. "It's out of our purview to try and be investigative reporters," DiLoreto said.

Still unresolved is the question of whether Sileo's statement will sour the station's relationship with the Buccaneers; WDAE airs the team's games on the radio as its flagship station.

Comments

[scottb]

get Sirius satellite radio and you will never want to listen to AM again again :)

Channel 124 NFL

[Adam]

I actually CAN'T hear Sileo because WDAE routinely does 25 minutes of commercials and 35 minutes of talk every hour. It's unlistenable. I doubt anyone stayed tuned in long enough to hear it.

[Patrick]

an even greater Buc hater now, how can this be sports radio?

[Dick Weed]

You only have to listen to the clown once, idiot. Your comment is moronic but thanks for checking in anyway.

[jumpingjohnny]

Wonder why all the losers post that Dan is so bad...listen to a different station....or do they not know there are different stations?

[Rocky]

"Really", obviously you've never listened to this moron. You're giving him credit for a 90 IQ.

[Really]

I doubt seriously if this guy went on the air and said this without any facts. He had to know the consequences of his actions considering the company that he works for airs the bucs games. He could be telling the truth. Lets wait and see what comes out later.

[Robby]

I was hoping he'd stay gone forever. My 6 year old could provide better radio than Silly-O.

[DoctorDoom]

Who is "Steve Duemig"?

[Bob]

Steve Duemig said the Bucs were for sale and yelled about for weeks on end. He still brings it up from time to time and defends his sources, but no one suspends him!

[DoctorDoom]

Nice turn of phrase - his report was "factually incorrect."

What else matters? This wasn't a prediction about who would win a game.

Someone needs to tell this dipstick that Vinnie, sitting 2 stools down at The "Loser Bar & Grill," should not really be considered a source.

[Super Scribbler]

No doubt, investigative reporting is out of Sileo's purview. But Clear Channel Radio has a few people left who've been winning investigative journalism awards for decades. Maybe 620 should pay someone from 970 to slap a muzzle on Dan's motor mouth.

[Reality]

Sileo will need to be treated like Canseco, if he turns out to be right. Remember how everyone treated Jose?

[jjoe hillman]

this piece of human debris must be related to someone high up on clear channel.

how this guy can lie about things for years, do no research, doesn't watch games... he personifies everything that critics scream about sports radio.

[gobulls32]

Its the Bucs. Who cares?