Former Chicago Bear Steve "Mongo" McMichael’s decision to run for mayor of Romeoville has cost him his spot on a Bears pregame show on Chicago’s ESPN radio affiliate.
McMichael, a member of the 1985 Super Bowl champion Bears and a longtime analyst for a pregame show on WMVP-AM 1000, filed paperwork Dec. 26 to get on the ballot for the April 9 election.
Two days later, an election law attorney representing one of McMichael’s opponents, Romeoville Mayor John Noak, sent a letter to the station stating that Noak was reserving the right to request equal air time, said the lawyer, John Fogarty.
McMichael said an official at the station called him Saturday and told him he would not be allowed on the air the next day for the show before the Bears’ season finale against the Detroit Lions.
“I was ready to go on and talk football,” McMichael said. “I by no means used that pregame show as a political platform this year. But if that’s the law, it’s the law, and I have to accept it. I even told ESPN I’m sorry I got them into this.”
ESPN released a one-sentence statement today saying, “Once Steve officially filed to run for mayor we decided it was appropriate to not have him appear on our air.”
Fogarty said his letter to the station didn’t request that McMichael be kept off the air.
“I was simply alerting them to the fact that he had run and we were reserving our right as a candidate to request equal time,” Fogarty said. “But any decision (about McMichael) was solely the station’s.”
Federal law requires that a radio station that provides air time to a candidate for public office “shall afford equal opportunities” to other candidates for the same office. The law has exceptions for news programs or news coverage of political events involving candidates.
Fogarty declined to provide the Tribune with a copy of the letter but said it put the station on notice that Noak would request equal air time.
“How that ultimately would have played out, I don’t know,” Fogarty said.
McMichael also said he doesn’t have a copy of the letter, but he said the letter shows that Noak is taking his candidacy seriously.
“What he’s doing by doing this is telling everybody that yes, I am a viable candidate, and he’s worried I’m going to beat him,” McMichael said.
McMichael also said he plans to speak with an attorney specializing in election law to evaluate his options.
“It’s not right to all the Bear fans who enjoy listening to me talk about what’s coming up for the game, but rules are rules,” he said.
rhaggerty@tribune.com
Twitter @RyanTHaggerty
Mayoral run costs ex-Bear Steve 'Mongo' McMichael his radio gig
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Mayoral run costs ex-Bear Steve 'Mongo' McMichael his radio gig
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