Atlanta radio hosts fired after mocking Gleason

Jun 18, 2013 - 12:07 AM Atlanta, GA (Sports Network) - Three hosts of an Atlanta sports radio show were fired Monday after they mocked a former NFL player who suffers from Lou Gehrig's disease.

Atlanta radio station 790 the Zone fired Nick Cellini, Chris Dimino and Steak Shapiro for making comments about Steve Gleason, who played for the New Orleans Saints from 2000-06.

The hosts did a mock interview with Gleason and imitated a robotic voice.

"We deeply regret the offensive programming that aired this morning on "Mayhem In The AM" on 790 The Zone, related to former New Orleans Saints player Steve Gleason and his battle with ALS," station general manager Rick Mack said in a statement. "We suspended the three individuals involved immediately following their comments and have since terminated their employment. 790 The Zone, our owners, sponsors and partners in no way endorse or support this kind of content. We sincerely apologize to Mr. Gleason, his family and all those touched by ALS."

The Falcons also weighed in on the issue concerning the mockery of the 36- year-old Gleason, who was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) in January 2011.

"The content concerning Mr. Gleason was completely inappropriate and is not representative of the views of the Falcons organization, nor does it represent the way we conduct our business on and off the field. To single out Steve the way he was this morning is totally lacking in taste and discretion," the team said.