Dateline: December 5, 1997
Tom
Barnard's Sidekick Gets Sacked Over Hoax!
by Bob Wolfley, SportsDay
The Cabe, a morning radio personality (aka The Crazy Cabe) with radio
station KQRS in Minneapolis who aired a story Monday that claimed Brett
Favre was in a hotel room with a woman other than his wife, was fired on
Wednesday.
The Cabe (pronounced Ca-BAY) admitted to station management that the
story was a hoax acted out by him and a female accomplice.
KQRS issued an on-air retraction and apology for the first time Wednesday
evening (the station is to air the retraction and apology several times
today.)
"We inquired when we first heard this report, this hotel room broadcast,
about its authenticity, because it was such a bold story," said Mark
Steinmetz, the group president for ABC Radio which owns KQRS, when SportsDay
reached him at his Minneapolis office on Wednesday night.
"We were assured that it was legitimate," said Steinmetz.
"Only through our investigation over the last couple of days have we
come to realize that it may not be. Through further questioning he admitted
today (Wednesday) that it was not. He was terminated immediately."
Acting on what he said was a tip, Cabe pretended to be an employee of
the Marriott City Center, where the Packers were staying, and knocked on
a door he said was occupied by Favre. According to Cabe's story, a woman
answered the door, said she wasn't Favre's wife and said that Favre was
in the shower. She then slammed the door.
"She's a great actress," said Steinmetz. "I don't know
if you heard the tape, but it's very believable."
Steinmetz said station management was "angry and embarrassed and
contrite" about the incident.
"We certainly meant no harm to the Favre family," said Steinmetz.
"We hope the Green Bay Packers fans will forgive us as well."
On Monday afternoon, in the wake of the stir the Cabe's bit created,
KQRS station manager Amy Waggoner issued a release in which she said the
station stood by its story.
"This incident did indeed occur," said Waggoner. "This
was not a comedy bit."
Waggoner was not at work on Wednesday.
After the victory against the Minnesota Vikings on Monday night, Favre
vehemently denied he was staying in a room other than the one for him on
the Packers' floors.
"It's (expletive)," Favre said. "(Expletive) anybody
who prints it."
Joe Sweeney, Favre's marketing agent, said on Wednesday afternoon that
an attorney in New York who was representing the station told him a retraction
was forthcoming. Sweeney said both he and Bus Cook, Favre's agent, had been
in contact with station officials and the station's attorneys, requesting
the story be retracted.
"They said to me, 'They (KQRS) are running a retraction and issuing
an apology' and they wanted to know if there was anything Brett wanted to
say. I said, 'Whatever Brett would want to say, you couldn't print. The
damage has been done.' "
DeVora Labino, an attorney in New York representing the group that owns
KQRS, ABC Inc., declined to comment.
In the statement read on air, KQRS apologies to Favre, his family, the
Marriott Hotel and the station's listeners.
"In fact, Mr. Favre was never in the woman's room," the statement
reads in part.
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