"I saw a number pop up and was wondering if it was spam. I answered the phone, and I hear a familiar voice that said, 'hey, it's me, I'm out!' It was Craiggy, calling to tell me that he was released from jail. What I heard was a happy and relieved Craig Carton. I'm happy for him, and his family and his kids, and I do believe he deserves a second chance – whether it's here or at another station, he's too talented to not be on the air somewhere."
Those of the words of Boomer Esiason, who opened the 7 a.m. hour of Wednesday's Boomer and Gio Show to reflect on hearing the voice of Craig Carton on a phone call minutes after WFAN's morning show went off the air on Tuesday.
Al Dukes also took some time to reflect on Carton, and the email chains Carton has maintained with his former co-host and cohorts on WFAN's morning show for over a decade.
"There were times he was talking about getting out early, but I didn't hear from him for about a week or so until the phone rang yesterday, and he was in a car driving home," Dukes said.
Boomer and Carton were together for more a decade, with the show consistently ranking No. 1 in the NYC market, but as much as he hopes his former co-host gets back on the air, Esiason was quick to note that the show is now Boomer and Gio.
"He's back and he's out, and he deserves another chance, and any issues we've had after this whole thing went down…they're gone, man," Esiason said. "But Gregg, you came in and kept this thing going, and we're going to stay together and we'll continue to do what we're doing."
Giannotti acknowledged that, and then added his take on a different side of the situation.
"His family was the first thing I thought of…when you're on the air at the top of your game as long as Craig was, he gets called a lot of things," Giannotti said, "but really, the most important thing he was called is dad. When this all went down, his kids getting their dad back is great to hear, and that's the part that put a smile on my face."
And, acknowledging that it's likely to stay Boomer and Gio for the long haul, Giannotti did note that he is indebted to Carton, and others who have been WFAN staples and successes, for paving the way for the position he is in.
"Knowing the strong relationship you guys had with him all those years made me feel good too – and as for him getting back on the radio, yes, he paid his debt. He's too good not to get another chance; I don't know when or where that will be, but I am happy that he is out," Gio said. "He is someone that helped out this station in a major way, and I will always be indebted to those who paved the way for us to have the success we've had."
Esiason and Dukes then touched on how limited their communications were with Carton while he was incarcerated, touching on the basic email app they had to use that Dukes deleted this morning after receiving an email about Carson's release, before Gio injected a little levity into the situation.
"Just hope you never have to use that app again with any other friends, right? Hopefully it's deleted for good," Gio joked as the entire crew laughed, before adding that "for someone in that situation, bland email writing with people you care about is great; it's a treat."
You can listen to the entire segment of the WFAN morning show's discussing Craig Carton below.
Follow WFAN's morning team on Twitter: @7BOOMERESIASON, @GioWFAN, @Alsboringtweets, @JerryRecco, and @WFANMornings
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