ESPN radio host Ryen Russillo returned to host “The Ryen Russillo Show” on Tuesday, after previously being suspended for one week due to an arrest in Wyoming on Aug. 23.
Russillo admitted he was out drinking around the Jackson Hole Mountain area the first night of his vacation, when he ended up in the wrong hotel room. He was charged with misdemeanor criminal entry, and was suspended as a result.
He took to the airwaves on Tuesday in his first show back, and addressed the situation. Here’s part of what he had to say, transcribed:
“It’s all on me,” Russillo said. “There is no one else. I could go through a timeline events that—if this happens, this happens, maybe this whole big thing doesn’t happen, but then it’s gonna sound like I’m making excuses and that I don’t get it. And trust me, I get it.
I understand that this is a big mistake, because I’m a public figure, and I have my name on a show, and I work at a place like ESPN, and a place that I’m proud to come in to work every single day. And I’m not saying this because my bosses are listening, but I deserved the suspension. I embarrassed you guys, I embarrassed myself, and I feel so bad about the people here, as it works as an on-air person, where you are—there are people here that love me, and there are people that are like, ‘Maybe, I’m not sure about that guy. I’m not sure that I get it.’ And I think that all the people that have been arguing for me, and me feeling like the underdog, and finally getting my name, and all these things that have happened the last 12 years here, I don’t want those people in the room that have been fighting for me to give up on me or to feel like, you know—because I have let them down. So I’m sorry to them.
When you are sitting there, thinking about your actions and making this kind of mistake, and you’re in a car by yourself driving through Idaho Falls and then into Montana in a rainstorm, and you’re like, “I can’t believe I did this. I can’t believe this happened.” And I’m sad, and then I’m angry, and I’m punching the steering wheel, and then you get a phone call and you feel a little bit better. And so, as I said, I joke about not having friends. Obviously, I have a lot. Maybe I should actually pick one of those next time I go on vacation.”
[protected-iframe id=”114f333251b6f7b763655570f3e63503-114320562-18702721″ info=”https://streamable.com/e/o4yzx?id=o4yzx&width&height&autoplay&muted” frameborder=”0″ class=”streamable-embed” scrolling=”no” webkitallowfullscreen=”” mozallowfullscreen=”” allowfullscreen=””]Props to Russillo for owning up to it — everyone makes mistakes, and what he did was just that: a mistake. No one was hurt or injured, and life goes on.
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
