In an appearance on WFAN rival, ESPN New York, Giants legend Carl Banks addressed the circumstances that led to him resigning from his weekly midday spot on the famed New York sports talk station.
Last month, Banks got into a contentious debate with hosts Brandon Tierney and Sal Licata over the play of Giants linebacker Kayvon Thibodeaux, which eventually led to Banks being unceremoniously booted from the air and later stepping away.
On Wednesday, Banks told “The Michael Kay Show” that the whole situation helped him realize that his weekly appearances on WFAN, which is the radio home of the Giants, “was not a platform I want to be on.”
“My father was a great debater. I have no problem with debate, I have a problem with debating someone who will not acknowledge facts,” Banks, who is the color analyst on for Giants games on WFAN with play-by-play caller Bob Papa, said during the ESPN New York appearance. “I think that [Tierney and Licata] speak facts a lot, but when you want to have a position on someone and you want to ask me about it and you tell me you haven’t seen that person or you haven’t watched that person, then I’m like well what are we talking about.
“Cause I’m gonna tell you what he’s doing and if you can only tell me what he’s not doing, then you’re not paying attention to what he’s doing.”
Tierney and Licata had been increasingly critical of the second-year Giants defender at the time, and Banks had taken exception to that.
As the confrontational discourse continued, Licata eventually instructed his producer to drop Banks’ call.
Banks acknowledged to ESPN hosts Kay, Don La Greca and Peter Rosenberg that he had been insulted “to a degree” in the way that he had been hung up on during the show.
“I will tell you, Michael, the thing that got me was I’m being treated like Carl from Secaucus,” 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.”
The football great said that he had spoken to the hosts and WFAN management after the incident.
A source had told The Post that station management had tried to smooth things over with Banks.
“I don’t want to say I’m bigger than them, but I’m bigger than arguing back and forth with people,” Banks said. “I got a lot of other interests that benefit from me doing things the right way. That’s how I built my brand. … But I’m not going to buffoon myself. Not that they’re asking me to, but going back and forth when a fact is sitting right here as plain as this cup.”
The fallout from Tierney and Licata’s spat with Banks extended beyond just the midday show.
After it was announced that Banks would end his weekly spots on the station, morning host Gregg Giannotti took shots at Banks, which included calling Banks’ spots “boring as hell.”
Banks said Wednesday that he hasn’t spoken with Giannotti and that a conversation between the two wasn’t going to happen.
“Given the fact of who it is, I’m gonna leave it alone,” Banks said when Giannotti’s comments were brought up. “I’m not below petty, I’m not above petty. Don’t poke the bear cause I can go there, but it’s not worth it.”