Josh Innes has been suspended for a feud with former co-worker Adam Clanton. Clanton has been let go.

It looks like there’s some internal drama at Houston radio station Sports Talk 790, which spilled over into a public fight and apparently led to one host’s firing. Afternoon co-host Adam Clanton is no longer at the station, as he told David Barron of the Houston Chronicle on Monday. (It’s unclear if Clanton will continue to be part of Rockets’ broadcasts on the station.)

 

This came not long after 790 morning host Josh Innes (who wound up back in Houston in October 2016 after a prominent firing in Philadelphia following racist mocking of a competitor’s fake racist caller, to say nothing of a January suspension for calling a white Eagles’ player a “house negro”  and a 2015 fight with a rival host) spent nine minutes on-air mocking Clanton.

As per Houston Media Watch, this drama appears to have started over a year ago with Clanton complaining about Innes wearing a Oklahoma City Thunder shirt. More recently, it flared up again Saturday thanks to Clanton retweeting the Old Takes Exposed tweet mocking Innes’ 2011 tweet criticizing the Texans’ selection of J.J. Watt. That led to Innes going off on Clanton for nine minutes Monday:

Here’s a partial transcription, via Deadspin’s Samer Kalaf:

“At least he took a break with fighting with the gal from ESPN or something—he loves to fight with ESPN people. That’s a fascinating thing I’ve noticed.”

[Cohost: “Well, it’s worked for Clay (Travis).”]

“Yeah, so let’s go fight with the ESPN people because they’re not giving the Rockets their just due or something like that.”

[…]

“My take was stupid. J.J. Watt’s maybe the best defensive player of the last decade. It’s a stupid opinion. I acknowledge it was a dumb opinion from a 23-year-old dope.”

[Co-host: “And that’s the difference, you’re not denying that you said this.”]

“No. Well, I don’t work for the Texans. So I wasn’t bought off by a team and then randomly become the biggest fanboy ever. Funny how that works when people who talk a big game about being hard, right? That’s like, a big thing. [Does an impression of Clanton] I put on for my city. In my leather jacket. I’m so hard. I’m like Fonz, but really hard, and not from that ass place Milwaukee. Terrible fans, worst fans ever.”

For anyone who’s followed any of Innes’ career, it’s not surprising at all that he’s wound up in a fight with someone. It’s a little surprising that it’s someone from his own station (most of his previous run-ins have been with the competition, including a Super Bowl one this year that saw him banned from Radio Row), but it sounds like there’s some history with him and Clanton. Given what has come out publicly, it seems curious that this led to a firing for anyone at all and for Clanton in particular, as his side of the beef seems to have happened off air, but there may be more going on behind the scenes.

Some local fans aren’t happy, though:

It’s a little disappointing overall to see sports radio continuing to support Innes, but that also seems very par for the course in that medium these days.

[Deadspin]

About Andrew Bucholtz

Andrew Bucholtz has been covering sports media for Awful Announcing since 2012. He is also a staff writer for The Comeback. His previous work includes time at Yahoo! Sports Canada and Black Press.