Bob Iger’s time with Disney might be winding down, but that doesn’t excuse the “garbage” Tesla he allowed ESPN to put Christopher “Mad Dog” Russo in.
On Wednesday mornings, Russo drives from his home to the train station in Darien, CT, where he catches an ESPN-provided car service into Manhattan to do First Take. After First Take, ESPN provides Russo with a car service to SiriusXM for his daily afternoon radio show. Russo then completes his day of travel by catching the 6:17pm train back to Darien.
From afar, having access to a car service paid for by your employer would seem like a luxury. But according to Russo, once you step inside the car, you’ll find it’s not always a luxury.
Russo’s car ride from hell began when the driver was 10 minutes late to meeting him at the train station. And Russo is willing to put up with that for an Escalade or Suburban, but a Tesla? No way.
“Mr. Iger, this is on you,” Russo said before getting into his rant on First Take. “A car pulls up, a piece of garbage…it was a Tesla! How dare you! And a Tesla with garbage in it! Coffee cups, newspapers on the ground, there was dog poop in the backseat!”
“And then when you’re driving down the West Side Highway, it’s like a bumper car for crying out loud! It’s a disaster!” Russo continued. “The guy doesn’t know where he’s going, the GPS, which stinks! And it’s a dirty black Tesla! Oh my God. How dare they! I’ve been doing this show for three and a half years, you ever see the social media content, Mr. Iger on Wednesdays? You text me all the time, you say, ‘Chris, you’re better than Stephen A.’ You do it all the time! And then you give me this vehicle? Get me a car that works, will ya please? Show a little class! How about a limo every once in a while, with a bottle of champagne in the backseat!”
Kudos to Dog and his agent for negotiating a car service into his ESPN deal. But this is why Mike Francesa spent his own money on his own driver (Julio) to drive his own car all those years commuting to WFAN from Long Island. Let Dog’s hardships serve as a reminder for everyone who gets a company-provided car service to write detailed language specifying the type of vehicle into the contract. Because without it, Bob Iger might just be willing to send you a Tesla filled with dog poop.
About Brandon Contes
Brandon Contes is a staff writer for Awful Announcing and The Comeback. He previously helped carve the sports vertical for Mediaite and spent more than three years with Barrett Sports Media. Send tips/comments/complaints to bcontes@thecomeback.com