“The King” did not return, which is starting to beg the question: Will “The King” return?
Howard Eskin, the longtime Philly sports media personality off the air, did not take his regularly scheduled Saturday morning spot at sports talk radio station WIP-94. It’s the third time in a row, since a July 1 story from the Inquirer that Eskin had been banned from Citizens Bank Park for the rest of the season after reportedly making an unwelcome advance and kissing an Aramark employee before a Phillies game at the ballpark’s CP Rankin Club this May.
The incident was investigated by WIP’s parent company, Audacy, in conjunction with the Phillies, and the accusation was found to have merit. Together, the companies agreed to ban Eskin from the ballpark for the rest of this season. Soon after, the 76ers also banned Eskin from the team’s training facility in Camden, New Jersey, NBC10 reported.
The Eagles and Flyers have not taken action, though they have said they are monitoring the situation. Eskin is a sideline reporter on Eagles broadcasts.
Eskin, 73, has not uttered a public word since the incident was reported, an interesting turn for someone who rose to prominence at WIP in the 1980s with his belligerent, outspoken style. He developed a love-hate relationship with callers, whom he labeled “dopes,” “morons” and, sarcastically, “geniuses” when they disagreed with him. He has also been a TV staple for decades, most notably on NBC10.
Eskin’s abrasive style, bombastic style — he often wears a fur coat when serving as a sideline reporter at Eagles game and happily answered to the title “King” — rubbed many the wrong way and he courted conflict with athletes, most notably Allen Iverson.
Eskin stepped back from his full-time radio duties in 2011, but has remained a fixture in Philly’s sports scene, with his 8-10 a.m. Saturday slot at WIP and sideline duties for Eagles radio broadcasts. He’s a frequent questioner at big press conferences.
WIP also employs Eskin’s son Spikewho followed in dad’s footsteps earlier this year when he returned from New York’s WFAN to become an afternoon host on WIP. He’d previously served as program manager at WIP for nearly a decade.
While Eskin has maintained his silence regarding the allegations, other former Philly sports talk legends haven’t. WIP’s longtime morning host, Angelo Cataldi, took to his personal blog to address what he called “the Howard Eskin mess.”
“My contentious history with Howard goes back three decades, and I am fully aware of the glee all of the Eskin-haters are expressing in the aftermath of the report. (I have been inundated with emails and text messages.),” Cataldi wrote. “I will not join that chorus. I have no idea what really happened. It would be ridiculous for me to speculate.”
Cataldi did say he thought Audacy’s stance in allowing Eskin to remain on the air was inconsistent.
“If the accusation is true — especially in this cancel-culture climate — there is no way Eskin’s show should continue without at least a significant hiatus,” Cataldi wrote. “The fact that Audacy proposed the ban suggests the company sees some merit in the accusation. You can’t have it both ways. Either he committed a serious breach of conduct or he didn’t. The ballpark ban says he did. The lack of a suspension says he didn’t. Which is it?”
Eskin has been involved in non-sports-related controversy before. In 1997, he sent roses to a Pottstown woman. The roses sent the woman’s husband into a jealous rage and he killed her. Eskin said the two were not romantically involved and he had sent the flowers to cheer her up. The husband pleaded guilty to third degree murder in August 1997.