NY Sports Media Personality Craig Carton Leaves WFAN, Which Had Rehired Him After Prison Stint And HBO Documentary, To Focus On FS1 Show – Deadline

Craig Carton, the New York sports media personality who was rehired by WFAN three years ago after being jailed for fraud for a gambling addiction, is leaving the radio station to focus on his deal with Fox Sports.

“Today is a happy day for me and a very sad day,” Catton said Thursday afternoon to listeners on Audacy-owned radio station. He explained that his decision to leave at the end of June was due to the lifestyle and his family. “It’s not about anyone here,” he said. “It’s about me and my personal life, and I have the opportunity to be on Fox Sports 1 with Fox Sports.”

Fox Sports struck a deal with Carton last fall to launch morning shows on FS1. The contract is reportedly worth millions of dollars.

Carton, who co-hosted the 2007 morning show with former NFL quarterback Boomer Esiason, replaced WFAN’s Don Imus, who was welcomed back to the station after his incarceration. He spent more than a year in prison on fraud-related charges before being released in 2020. HBO also aired a documentary shortly thereafter, Wild Card: The Downfall of Broadcast Big Mouthin which he discusses being a victim of child sex abuse and his subsequent involvement in a ticket-sales fraud scheme designed to cover his gambling debts.

As part of being allowed to return to WFAN, Carton agreed to host a Saturday morning show focused on providing resources for those affected by gambling addiction, hello my name is craigThe show is expected to continue airing after Carton leaves his weekday afternoon slot on June 30.

Audacy, known as Entercom until 2021, acquired the WFAN and other radio assets from CBS Corp. in 2017.

“Making the decision to not just leave radio, and WFAN in particular, was not an easy decision,” said Carton. “Sadly, I put myself in a bad situation a few years ago, and three years ago today. ,I was nothing more than a number.Three years ago today I woke up in federal prison,I was in this place for a year because of the bad decisions I made.When I was that number,I dreamed To be able to restart my career one day. It might have seemed silly at the time, but that dream helped me survive prison.”