One month after his high profile exit from a weekly hit on the WFAN’s The Brandon Tierney and Sal Licata Show, Carl Banks is telling his side of the story.
Appearing on WFAN rival ESPN New York on Wednesday, the New York Giants legend addressed the exit, which stemmed from an argument with hosts Brandon Tierney and Sal Licata regarding the play of second-year linebacker Kayvon Thibodeaux. The argument — in which Banks was defending the Oregon product against criticism from Tierney and Licata — got so contentious that the hosts hung up on the Giants Ring of Honor member, who later canceled his weekly paid appearance with the program.
During his appearance on The Michael Kay Show on Wednesday, Banks said that while he doesn’t mind arguing, his issue with the show’s hosts was what he perceived to be a lack of preparedness.
“My father was a great debater. I got no problem with debate. I have a problem with debating someone who will not acknowledge facts. It’s a waste of time at that point,” Banks said. “That’s not a platform I want to be on. I’m not telling you their facts are not facts. I think they speak facts a lot. But when you want to have a position on someone and you ask me about it and you tell me you haven’t seen that person or you don’t watch that person, then I’m like, ‘What are we talking about?'”
ICYMI on @TMKSESPN:@CarlBanksGIII explains his WFAN exit, following a heated Kayvon Thibodeaux debate.
WATCH HERE ⤵️ pic.twitter.com/VsN5peYPB1
— 98.7FM ESPN New York (@ESPNNY98_7FM) November 30, 2023
Banks also admitted that he was insulted “to a degree” by being hung up on and revealed that he has since had conversations with all involved.
“It just wasn’t for me. I don’t want to say I’m bigger than them. But I’m bigger than arguing back and forth with people,” said Banks, who still serves as the in-game analyst for Giants radio broadcasts on WFAN. “I’ve got a lot of other interests that benefit from me doing things the right way. That’s how I’ve built my brand… I’m not going to buffoon myself. Not that they asked me to, but going back and forth when a fact is sitting right here as plain as this cup — it’s a cup. You can tell me it ain’t. I’m telling you it is.”
After co-host Peter Rosenberg brought up that many Giants fans were outraged by the show’s treatment of Banks considering his credentials, the two-time Super Bowl champion and 1987 All-Pro agreed.
“The thing that got me was I’m being treated like Carl from Secaucus,” the 61-year-old Banks said. “I’m not a regular caller, right? And I try to bring things that will try to either make people smarter or more informed about a subject.”
While Banks insisted that he was past the incident, it appears as though at least some level of bad blood still exists. While one could argue about the show’s treatment of Banks and his reaction to it, the reality is that the 61-year-old was simply a poor fit with Tierney and Licata and a blowup was likely coming at one point or another.
