The world has spoken out against the Kings’ DeMarcus Cousins trade. But echoing the same thoughts as nearly everyone else got one Sacramento radio host pulled off air.
Damien Barling, one of three hosts on “The Lo-Down,” an afternoon show for KHTK — the Kings’ flagship station — was not allowed on the airwaves Wednesday after ripping GM Vlade Divac, the orchestrater of the Cousins deal, on Monday.
“We respect the right of all of our on-air hosts and employees to voice their professional opinions on a range of topics,” KHTK sports program director Kevin Sherrets told the Sacramento Bee. “However, we do not condone malicious personal attacks on or from anyone. Comments of that nature do not reflect the views or sportsmanlike conduct of this station.”
Wednesday, Jason Ross and Ken Rudolph, the show’s other co-hosts, explained the suspension and appeared to act in solidarity, going silent. The network instead aired a nationally syndicated program.
Barling had been one of the millions to blast Divac for his confounding, All-Star Game-day trade.
“That was embarrassing. That was absolutely embarrassing,” Barling said Monday, after Divac told reporters he had a better trade on the table two days earlier — but still accepted Tyreke Evans, Buddy Hield, Langston Galloway and a 2017 first-round and second-round draft pick from the Pelicans. “… That dude is not fit to be the general manager of a basketball team. This is real life. You just heard a general manager say publicly at a press conference ‘We had a better deal two days ago’. You moron! You can’t say that! ‘Oh why didn’t you wait till Thursday?’ ‘Oh cause we had a better deal two days ago?’”
Following the suspension, the show was expected to air with all three co-hosts on Thursday.