ESPN Anchor Calls Bucs “Radio Raheem’s”
November 2nd, 2010
Why would an anchor on that alleged news show SportsCenter call Bucs head coach Raheem Morris “Radio Raheem?”
More specifically, it was sounds like anchor Trey Wingo, a noted ESPN personality, referring to the Buccaneers as “Radio Raheem’s company” during a highlight shown on ESPN following Sunday’s Bucs-Cardinals game. Here’s the video evidence, courtesy of BucStop.com.
Radio has a been a Bucs message board nickname of Morris floated by haters of the head coach since he got the job last year. Radio is the movie title and the nickname of the main character in the 2003 film starring Cuba Gooding, Jr. The actor played the role of Radio, a mentally challenged young black man mistreated by the local high school football team but later embraced by team coaches and worked with the team.
Calling Morris “Radio Raheem” is an insult, for sure, no doubt born from the color of Morris’ skin. There’s a chance this “Radio Raheem” is a reference to the profanity spewing young black male character murdered in New York City in the movie Do The Right Thing. But that movie had nothing to do with football.
Regardless, the Bucs are 5-2 and there is no reason for some BSPN clown like Wingo to be calling the coach “Radio Raheem.”
So where does this go from here? Joe, who loathes BSPN, vows to call the Stalinist Mouse outfit tomorrow for a response, although Joe expects to get nothing.
Joe sincerely hopes the Bucs’ brass use their muscle to ruffle some feathers in Bristol.
November 2nd, 2010 at 10:00 pm
Ummm…Joe, you might want to check out the Spike Lee movie called “Do the Right Thing”. There’s a character named Radio Raheem.
November 2nd, 2010 at 10:02 pm
I hate ESPN but I’m pretty sure Trey Wingo is more familiar with “Do the Right Thing” than he is with what haters call Raheem on Bucs message boards.
November 2nd, 2010 at 10:03 pm
You go Joe.
November 2nd, 2010 at 10:07 pm
I was kinda shocked when Trey said that. But I had never seen “Do the Right Thing”. Since there is a character named that in the movie, it is clear that is who Trey is referring to. Since I haven’t seen the film, I don’t know if the character is a positive or negative one.
I love how people who are not a fan of Raheem’s are called haters. That always cracks me up.
November 2nd, 2010 at 10:39 pm
Yeah I actually heard him say that on ESPN. There was no reason for Trey to call him that. I don’t really understand why he did.
November 2nd, 2010 at 11:02 pm
No Joe Radio Raheem is a character from Spike Lee’s film “Do the Right Thing.” Me and my friends call Raheem that from that movie, no pun intended when referencing him with that, just slang.
November 2nd, 2010 at 11:06 pm
Random Thought: I understand the move for Al Woods, and like it, but why were we trying out WR Antonio Robinson with all the receivers on our team, including Briscoe???
November 2nd, 2010 at 11:19 pm
So there’s a character called Radio in a movie with no connection to football, and a character called Radio in a movie about football. I’d be more inclined to think that Trey was referring to a football related character than to one with no relation to football. Just a thought.
November 2nd, 2010 at 11:44 pm
Chris Berman plays with player’s names… and they’re hardly ever football related. Why does Wingo’s need to be? Berman’s “Sammie Sergent Stroughter” isn’t football related. Neither is “Radio Raheem”.
Get a grip people.
And don’t get me wrong… I can’t stand Trey Wingo. He’s a douche. But I doubt he was referring to the movie “Radio” in this instance. Considering his age and generation, I’m pretty sure its from the Spike Lee movie… not some crappy Cuba Gooding Jr movie.
November 2nd, 2010 at 11:48 pm
Personally, I just think there aren’t a lot of “Raheem” references in pop culture, and “Do the Right Thing” is a pretty popular movie. It’d be no different if some running back had the last name Forrest and Chris Berman screamed “Run Forrest, Run”. Maybe I’m missing something, but I don’t see the outrage.
November 2nd, 2010 at 11:57 pm
beachterp:
Please reread the post. Joe made it perfectly clear that Wingo may have been referring to that character as well.
From what Joe can tell, if Wingo was referring to the character in the Spike Lee movie, that really isn’t exactly a compliment either.
November 3rd, 2010 at 12:00 am
Eric S:
Both you and Joe know there’s an element, however small, that hate Raheem for reasons that have nothing to do with his age or resume.
That’s far different than people who are not fans of Raheem for perfectly legitimate football reasons. Joe does not consider that group “haters” at all.
November 3rd, 2010 at 12:01 am
Did we sign Al Woods?
November 3rd, 2010 at 12:05 am
This is a total non-issue. If you were aware of the character in the spike lee movie’s name being exactly “Radio Raheem”, why would you even bother floating the possibility of Wingo implying that Raheem talks like a retarded character? Do you really think there is any chance that Wingo would flush his career down the toilet just to spew some sound byte like that. If Wingo really meant the retarded character he would be fired. There would be outrage not just from the Bucs but from a lot of sources. I like you Joe but this is just a bit of sensationalism here.
November 3rd, 2010 at 12:08 am
We did sign Al Woods! That’s great. He wasn’t high on my list because I was thinking more along the lines of pass rushing 3 tech DTs, but he is a great run stopping nose tackle. Lots of potential. Great pick up.
November 3rd, 2010 at 12:10 am
Let’s just say Joe’s done his research.
November 3rd, 2010 at 1:59 am
I see your point Joe. I just don’t want every nonfan of Raheem being painted with the hater brush. It annoys me. I wasn’t a fan of Raheem because of his qualifications. Just like I wasn’t a fan of Richard Williamson back in the day. Raheem still needs to convince me he is the right man for the job. He has done better than expected so far this year and let’s see if he keeps it up. I will say that if the Bucs reach double digits in wins, I will be impressed. But I still have the nagging pain in the back of my neck about the schedule and quality of QBs the Bucs have faced.
November 3rd, 2010 at 2:14 am
Radio Raheem in Do The Right Thing was an interesting character in a dramatic and cinematic context, and, in fact, that’s the reference that came to my mind when I first heard the nickname applied to coach.
That’s likely because I never saw the Cuba Gooding Jr. movie.
November 3rd, 2010 at 2:36 am
It’s really a pretty odd nickname for Wingo to use for Raheem, assuming he was referring to the character in “Do the Right Thing”. Maybe I have to see the movie to get it, but it wasn’t exactly the most popular movie ever made, so I doubt too many people get it. However, I do tend to believe that he was using it in reference to that movie versus the Cuba Gooding movie, mainly because I’ve never heard a hater refer to him as “Radio Raheem”, only “Radio”. I will say that if he did mean it for the Cuba Gooding movie, that is without a doubt a fireable offense. Joe, I was wondering what have you heard from your sources inside One Buc Place? What do they think he was referring to and have they done anything about it?
November 3rd, 2010 at 2:42 am
Joe here,
Hawaiian Buc – Joe’s been in touch with the powers at One Buc. Joe can’t pass on their comments at this time.
November 3rd, 2010 at 4:14 am
Thanks Joe. Something now tells me this story might pick up a little steam.
November 3rd, 2010 at 4:29 am
I’d like to throw my comments in too, because it seems we are making a lot of excuses for Trey Wingo, such as Gitarlvr who says “why would he say something like that and throw his career down the tubes”..
I dont know, why would Howard Cosell call Art Monk ‘ a little Monkey’ (although to be fair, Howard called all small people that), or Jimmy the Greek and his comments, Michael Richards and his tirade on the comedy show, Mel Gibson, etc..I could go on.
These guys on ESPN are trying so hard to follow in the footsteps of Chris Berman, but Chris has a natural talent for doing that. When you force something, its not going to always come out right.
…also, People who call Raheem Radio call him that from the Cuba Gooding Jr movie, period. You know that, I know that. Again, lets not make excuses for people.
I dont think Trey Wingo is a bad person. I dont think he should be fired. But I do think his comments were insensitive and deserve an apology.
One more thing…a person who is not a fan of Raheem doesnt go on message boards and call him Radio. Only someone who hates Raheem does that.
There are plenty of reasons to support Raheem Morris if you knew anything about him. When he was hired, MY phone blew up from all the calls from my buddies, who I told back in 2007 to “watch out for Raheem Morris”. It was a no brainer to me. He left after 2005 along with Tomlin, the Defensive Backs fell apart in 2006, while his K State’s defense showed improvement across the board in stats. Then he returned in 2007 as DB coach, and the DBs improved dramatically.
There is a resume there to look at folks, if you choose to.
Anyways, the man now has over 20 games experience as a head coach, so lets get off the “Raheem has no experience” nonsense.
November 3rd, 2010 at 5:45 am
Joe. You are right, this is inexcusable behavior from Wingo. Please pass along the outrage from the division leading Buc Fans! Some of you need to stop being apologist for ass^%les. If Trey thinks he can insult our coach without repercussions, to get a Lil shock jock press, he’s wrong. Pay the piper
November 3rd, 2010 at 5:59 am
Well he didn’t have any head coaching experience before this job. And he admitted that he was learning on the job last year.
November 3rd, 2010 at 6:02 am
Did anyone know that Radio Raheem was choked to death in that movie? Does Trey Wingo secretly want to do that to Raheem Morris? This is outrageous! Wingo must be stopped!
November 3rd, 2010 at 6:40 am
True Eric S, there is no doubt Raheem did some learning on the job, but its not as if he was given a finished product and told, ” Now get us over the hump and to the Superbowl” as Gruden was. So in that respect he was good for the job as he and the team would learn things together. His LEADERSHIP was required more than experience. In my opinion of course.
There are a few other coaches we could have hired to replace Gruden that I would have been happy with. I just didn’t want any retreads. We’ve learned our lessons here regarding that type of coach. Leeman Bennett, Sam Wyche, Ray Perkins, none of whom worked. Especially Cowher. Not that I think Cowher is a bad coach, he is a good one, but he would have set us back 3 years by changing over to a 3-4 defense. Besides, the whole premise made no sense. We had ONE losing season and everyone wanted Cowher. Cowher missed the playoffs three straight years during his stay in Pittsburgh, so how could that have been acceptable.
November 3rd, 2010 at 7:29 am
The only character anybody is talking about when they say Radio Raheem is the guy from Do The Right Thing. Btw the character is not a bad guy in the movie; he’s more of a victim actually. He has LOVE and HATE tattooed to his knuckles, which is cool.
November 3rd, 2010 at 8:30 am
Let’s ask google about “Radio Raheem” …
http://lmgtfy.com/?q=radio+raheem
November 3rd, 2010 at 8:36 am
Radio Raheem says, “Let me tell you the story of Right Hand, Left Hand. It’s a tale of good and evil. Hate: it was with this hand that Cane iced his brother. Love: these five fingers, they go straight to the soul of man. The right hand: the hand of love. The story of life is this: static.”
November 3rd, 2010 at 8:49 am
NC…Trey may have meant that, but the people that post on the local sites do not mean the character from “Do the Right Thing”…In fact, I would bet that most of those posters never watched a Spike Lee movie, much less “Do the Right Thing”. It is a pretty good movie though. I even saw someone post on TBO that the “Radio” character from the |Radio” movie is who they were referring to. The same people use that nickname that say he is an idiot that cannot talk. I do not think they use it as an intentional racial slur though some may.
November 3rd, 2010 at 9:02 am
Does this mean that it is okay for us to return to calling him Radio Raheem? I really believe that this is the most appropriate nickname and he really does remind me of the character from the movie.
No, I am not talking about Forrest Gump you haters.
Wingo was just reporting objectively, that is all that you can ask of a news man.
November 3rd, 2010 at 9:27 am
Thomas, using a nickname like that would not be objective reporting. No matter which character Wingo meant, putting that kind of nickname adds a lot of subjectivity. Stick to the facts. A real reporter would refer to Coach Morris with his actual name. Pulling a nickname is something a BS columnist-type writer might do to add someting cutesy to their opinion article, but a beat writer/reporter shouldn’t do that.
On a side note, I’m inclined to believe he meant the Spike Lee character, even though I’ve never seen the movie myself. BUT the fact of the matter remains that, even if that IS what he meant, a large number of people aren’t going to recognize that fact and will instead connect the name Radio with the football movie. Basically, either way it was an incredibly stupid nickname to throw out there, because of the negative connotation that could so easily be taken. Saying “I didn’t mean it that way” is not a valid excuse, especially for someone who is supposed to be a reporter.
November 3rd, 2010 at 10:05 am
But what if the nickname fits perfectly. Also, his players don’t call him by his name, they call him “Rah.”
November 3rd, 2010 at 10:17 am
JOE
What else do you expect from B-S-P-N?
November 3rd, 2010 at 10:33 am
This is just another attempt by ESPN to belittle any success the Tampa Bay area sports teams have. When the Rays were winning, what was the focus – the crappy attendance. Do you ever hear anything about the Lightning or Stamkos? Didn’t think so. And now the Bucs are winning and they’re calling our head coach freaking “Radio.” I don’t care if he was referring to “Do The Right Thing” or not, even though that movie has nothing to with football, of course we’re going to think he’s referring to Cuba Gooding’s character, which is an insult and racially insensitive. I’m not a conspriacy theorist or anything like that, but it’s REALLY hard to watch ESPN consistently and NOT think they have some sort of vendetta against this area. Puke.
November 3rd, 2010 at 10:39 am
Those are his players in an informal, team/home/family atmosphere. I think most of us probably have nicknames for family members and friends, but that doesn’t mean we’d refer to them that way if we were speaking to a national audience.
Wingo is supposed to be reporting news–and in doing so should refrain from nicknames, period. Reporters, in their reporting, shouldn’t even call him Rah. It’s just not professional, and even though Morris is young and fun and laid back, he still should be treated like a head coach,
Like I said, I’m pretty sure Wingo didn’t mean his comment in a derogatory way, BUT it’s a very cloudy nickname to use given the way it COULD be taken, so it was just a very bad idea on his part.
November 3rd, 2010 at 10:39 am
I’m not touching this one with a 10′ pole.
Good Luck!
November 3rd, 2010 at 11:32 am
Stop with the butthurt. He’s not talking about the mentally retard radio. He’s talking about this guy:
http://filthyspeakeraddict.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/01/radioraheemlovehatesmaller.jpg
November 3rd, 2010 at 12:25 pm
This story may be a bit of a reach as far as the Radio reference. However, I am not a fan of Trey Wingo AT ALL. He may be the worst host of a NFL show currently running on air and I cannot wait until the day his contract is not renewed or is canned.
November 3rd, 2010 at 2:05 pm
Okay, what the hell. When a TV personality says a word that can be misconstrued or taken in a very negative context, it is a poor choice of words. People with class won’t use words or references that are easily taken to be controversial. It doesn’t matter if Trey meant Radio or RadioRaheem. The fact that it could be viewed as offensive says that he was trying to be “Cute” or he is stupid. Chances are, probably both. This is much like the MSM in general. When they employ broadcasters that say stupid things an offend large groups of viewers, they get tuned out. Don’t watch him, and eventually he will get replaced. Always hit them in the pocket book where it counts.
November 3rd, 2010 at 2:42 pm
BigMac,
“Always hit them in the pocket book where it counts.” Or hit them with said 10′ pole! LOL!
November 3rd, 2010 at 2:44 pm
@Niko- he called him Radio Raheem. Not Radio. If he meant to insult Raheem by calling him mentally retarded he would have just called him Radio. Clearly he was talking about the other character. Its a shame that Trey Wingo may now have to defend himself against the jackass race baiters. Furthermore why is it racially insensitive to compare Raheem to a retarded person? The President of the United States was continually lambasted by national media like SNL for having poor grammar. So the same thing happens to a black guy and its racist? I thought it was disrespectful when it happened to Bush and when people on the boards started doing it to Raheem. But in neither instance was it racist, even tho some who may have used the name may have been racists.
November 3rd, 2010 at 3:04 pm
gitlvr…I agree. Most people were implying that raheem was not smart, but some may not have been…Either way, let’s move on and get back to football. Of course I say that, but keep coming back to read posts anyway…
BigMac…Your point comes over better without telling people to shove it up their arse…LOL…just kidding…good posts above though.
November 3rd, 2010 at 3:51 pm
I love my Bucs and Raheem is the man, what Wingo said could be a non-issue for many here, but I think Wingo has committed an offense and needs to apologize or get fired for it.
@gitarlvr: “The President of the United States was continually lambasted by national media like SNL for having poor grammar. ”
Your comparison is not appropriate. Radio friggin Mushmouth despite being a hater of Rah was a Bucs fan, I had no problems with him using that “Radio” name to post here. But IT IS offensive when a Panthers fan or Packers media guy uses that term.
I get angry when a BSPN guy that is not a Bucs fan criticizing our head coach.
November 3rd, 2010 at 4:35 pm
Bingo! It’s that simple.
If Joe did a comedic video wearing blackface, Joe would be beyond naive to think that wouldn’t or couldn’t be taken the wrong way, no matter how innocent Joe meant the stunt to be.
November 3rd, 2010 at 7:18 pm
LOL Guys! I agree!!!
I can be an ass at times. Sorry.
I wanted to keep my big yap shut o this one, but I just couldn’t.
I sure we hope we beat the Falcons. This is going to be a tough game. Matty Ice is no slouch, and we won’t get away with the same crap we did last week. This new DT, Woods from the Steelers may be good. He was about to be moved up from the practice squad, so they say. Steelers run a 3-4 and tis guy may be strong enough to 2 gap inside or play on the nose. It just keeps getting more interesting with the Bucs. never a dull moment. I bet Tomlin is real happy with Raheem now. Not.
November 7th, 2010 at 8:02 pm
Nice call on 4th down Radio. What was that a reverse? I can’t believe the best team in the world lost. This is madness
November 8th, 2010 at 12:12 pm
I can’t sit here and not comment. Why on earth would you assume that Trey was referring to a Cuba Gooding, Jr. movie that no one saw? Do The Right Thing was a cultural landmark. Just because the guy who does this blog hasn’t seen it doesn’t make it any less so. His name’s Raheem. Radio Raheem is the only famous Raheem other than the coach and an R ‘n B singer. He could’ve called him Raheem Devaughn. Would that have made you feel better. I can’t believe you idiots are elevating this to the level of crisis. And stop digging your heels in on this. You’re wrong. You made a stupid assumption about something that most people know about. You were called on it over and over, yet you still cling to this mistake with white-knuckled intensity because you refuse to admit you messed up. Loser.
November 8th, 2010 at 12:18 pm
Damian:
Joe’s gone over this in the thread already. “Radio” was nationally distributed with big-name stars and is still seen regularly in primetime on standard cable. The Spike Lee flick was an indie film and nothing more than a cult classic.
If anyone is making stupid assumptions it’s someone like you who hasn’t done any research, or worse, fails to read.
November 8th, 2010 at 1:57 pm
But it is more than a cult classic. As Damian already mentioned, it’s a cultural landmark. Do The Right Thing is an important movie to most anyone that cares about film or even art. Why do you keep insisting there’s a dangerous connection to the film “Radio”? I’ve never read your blog before, but you’re making yourself look like a daft pot-stirrer. Aren’t you a writer? Don’t you understand how references work? Are you familiar with Occam’s Razor? There isn’t a logical connection to Raheem Morris and the Gooding Jr. character to anyone that doesn’t think the Bucs coach acts like a mentally handicapped person. Is this really what you’re trying to tell us?
November 8th, 2010 at 9:11 pm
The box office of the two movies is similar, though Radio’s is slightly higher (though Do the Right Thing’s budget was a sixth of Radio’s). Do the Right Thing has much higher DVD sales, was nominated for 2 Oscars, was directed by Spike Lee (one of our countries more important directors) and resonates throughout pop culture. Radio was garbage trash that mouth breathers may watch on TNT on Friday nights. I’d like to reverberate what an earlier poster said; why is it ok when Berman makes up nicknames for guys irrelevant to football, but when Wingo does it its insensitive?
November 19th, 2010 at 3:24 pm
I call Coach “Radio” out of love.
The last couple of posters have it right. I’ve never heard of the movie “radio”, but DTRT is a friggin classic. If you’re older than 12 and haven’t at least heard of it, you’ve been living under a rock.
In 1999 the Library of Congress declared it a culturally significant, and included it in the National Film Registry in it’s first year of eligibility. It’s only one of 5 films ever to have that distinction. The other four: Fargo, Goodfellas, Raging Bull, & Toy Story.
November 19th, 2010 at 3:27 pm
Once again, cult classic does not make anything mainstream. Joe cannot understand how people cannot fathom this.
How many people go to the Dali Museum in St. Petersburg compared to, say, a Rays game?
Trust Joe, more people go to a Rays game.
Culture and popular mainstream are two far different things.
November 19th, 2010 at 3:33 pm
Oh, and “Radio” has big stars? Cuba Gooding, Ed Harris & Debra Winger?
Do the Right Thing starred Spike Lee, Danny Aiello, Ossie Davis, John Turturro, Rosie Perez, Martin Lawrence, and Samuel “Mother Truckin” Jackson.