As another Sask native and Rider fan I agree this got blown up a bit. It was a poor comment and one which shouldn't have really been said. It's worthy of an apology but the suspension is a little much depending on what the suspension really is. (As an aside, do we know if he was just suspended from on air or suspended without pay? I suspect no pay but I don't know if that was confirmed/will be confirmed.) This does happen all the time though with people in the public eye. Once a large enough portion of the general population feels something you've said or done is evil then you're going to get punished for it. That's the way it works (unless you represent Calgary West
).
In this case he's being punished for a comment made in he middle of sports banter. I'm sure most of what these guys say is off the cuff. It's not scripted like the talking heads on the TV sports programs. They may have talking points but the comments made in between are on the fly. I suspect this is part of the appeal in talk radio, comments aren't well thought out and are therefore more raw. Sometimes these guys come up with comments they regret just like any of us.
I'd say the danger for the radio station is they end up with on air personalities who are afraid to say what comes to them naturally which would take a lot of personality out of the program. Watering down the morning show to three guys who are reading from a script would be bad for business in my mind.
Also, the end of that game was a treat to watch no matter which team won. It was a showcase of what makes the CFL a fun league to watch. The human interest story of Tate also made this Rider fan happy for him that he won. Not keep it running Stamps and get a cup. Win it for Gran.