A Philadelphia sports talk radio caller felt that it was more important to complain about Ben Simmons than grapple with the hit-and-run incident he was apparently a victim of during the call.
“James” in the northeast called into “Angelo Cataldi and the Morning Team” on WIP94.1 Friday, and was asked how he was doing.
“Not bad, someone just hit my car,” he said. “And they’re driving off. It’s okay. They just swerved into my lane. It’s alright. I’m not worried about it.”
The host was perplexed.
“You just got into a car accident, and you’re calling about Ben Simmons?!” he asked.
“Yeah, because he annoys me more than someone hitting my car and driving off,” James responded.
The caller said that it makes him “sick” that “Ben Simmons is lying about mental illness.“
Simmons’ agent, Rich Paul, told The Athletic on Thursday that the string of “fines, targeting and negative publicity” from the 76ers has “furthered the mental health issues for Ben.”
Simmons has missed the entire season thus far, after an offseason in which his trade demands were rebuffed. There has been no timetable for his return.
Whether this car accident actually happened, explaining sports talk radio to a non-listener would end up with bizarre stares. In Philadelphia, it’s not something one would be astonished by.