Dan Dakich Being Investigated for Comments on Radio Show

Dan Dakich never strays far from controversy and now he is in hot water with his employer. Emmis Communications, which owns ESPN affiliate WFNI The Fan in Indianapolis, is investigating derogatory comments Dakich made following the firing of a high school basketball coach in Indiana.

During his show on Wednesday, Dakich took off on a five-minute rant after Scottsburg High School fired head coach Brent Jameson. Among other things, Dakich claimed he was going to "beat the hell" out of every school board member, called a high schooler a "methhead" and said, "take a dump in Scottsburg" should be "our new thing."

Dakich also called Scottsburg "hilljack world" and said it was a town full of "meth and AIDS and needles."

Here are a few sections of the rant:

""Let me guess, some jack--- of a board member has a kid on the team at Scottsburg that didn't get to play enough. Shut the living hell up Scottsburg, Indiana. Shut the whole damn town down. Hey jack---, I may just drive down there and beat the hell out of every school board member." "

""Take a dump in Scottsburg should be our new thing. My god, how stupid. Somebody send me a picture of this school board, these idiots in Scottsburg. Take a dump in Scottsburg should be the new motto.""

Not surprisingly, WFNI got a ton of emails and phone calls demanding Dakich apologize. The clip that includes the tirade has been taken down from the station's website and Dakich opened his Friday show with a non-apology:

""Tone is important people. Sometimes you can’t get tone out of newspaper articles and things. Sometimes what's funny when said or trying to be funny doesn't come across.""

Just a note: it wasn't funny.

Emmis suspended Dakich for a week in October for "a failure (in 2018) on Dan's part to adhere to the journalistic principles valued by Emmis."

Given the harsh reaction to his comments, some kind of punishment or an actual public apology should be forthcoming.