We care about Craig Carton because of his talent. Carton’s ability to run a radio program was immense. It is a skill that takes instincts, humor and knowing what buttons to push.
Not many can do it at the top of the sports radio food chain, like WFAN.
Carton, a kid from New Rochelle, via Syracuse, could do it. And he made it big in the city.
Along with Boomer Esiason, he was the center of New York sports every morning for a decade. It was a dream.
But Carton liked to play at the edge, and he liked to play dirty. He was the type of host who would do touchdown dances on others’ graves. Nothing was off-limits.
There was such concern of how far Carton might go on the air that the station had an extra-special delay system, longer than the usual seven seconds, put in place for his show. The Carton button was there to protect the station and Carton from himself.
It turns out, he needed some special guardrails when he left the studio.
Barring a victory in his appeal, Carton is headed to prison, because of his out-of-control actions. He lived in excess and a jury swiftly found him guilty of fraud on Wednesday. The sentence could be as long as 45 years — though, it will likely be much less, but still a significant amount.
He lived in excess with an alleged gambling problem and a wayward view he could fool the world. The tragedy of his spiral is full of sadness for his victims, for his family and Carton himself.
The harm he has done to the people he fooled was in the millions, while the damage he has placed on his wife and kids can’t be measured.
The worst part is it didn’t have to be this way. Carton could have owned the city for years. His life as a celebrity with a big voice could have lasted decades.
He, along with Esiason, rescued WFAN in the wake of Don Imus’ firing in 2007. They had arguably FAN’s most important show and, inarguably, its most entertaining after Chris Russo left Mike Francesa for SiriusXM.
But it was never enough for Carton. He wanted more. You could hear it on the air, as he constantly was talking about this gig or that gig. He would pretend to be buddies with this celebrity or that one. Some were real, some were imagined.
He had his own reality that didn’t end until he was arrested a year ago, and resigned from FAN.
At 49, Carton should be on the air Thursday morning, making people laugh, not awaiting sentencing. That is where he belongs. After Imus was fired for a racist/sexist rant aimed toward women college basketball players, FAN put the guardrails on Carton, knowing what it just went through, and Carton’s vulnerabilities.
But there was no extra-special mute button for his life outside the studio. He is now alone, likely headed to prison. It is sad for everyone involved. No touchdown dances now.