'Rush Tommy Maddox to the Hospital' Radio Station Contest May Be Called Off (Tasteless Alert)

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- The friendly woman behind the counter yesterday afternoon at the Titans Team Store in the Coliseum said she was sorry, but she had no information on the gurney race that was supposed to take place nearby and award to the winner two tickets to tomorrow's Steelers-Titans playoff game.

"What are they going to do," she asked over her shoulder, "put an injured Pittsburgh Steeler on the gurney?"

Told that she had summed up the contest in one sentence, the woman gasped. "I was just joking," she said. "That's awful."

She's apparently not the only one who believes that a contest making fun of Steelers quarterback Tommy Maddox's frightening injury in November crossed a boundary of good taste. At 5 p.m. yesterday, the only remnant of the contest was a notice on the Web site of Nashville radio station WRVW-FM announcing that a news conference to "address the controversy surrounding this contest" will be held this morning.

It was not clear last night whether the contest will go on. The rules of the contest went like this: Three teams of two people, one dressed as a doctor, the other as "an injured Steelers player," would race through the streets of Nashville at lunchtime today, with the "doctor" pushing the "player" on a gurney. The contest would start at The Coliseum, end at a pretend hospital.

The following statement was made by Woody & Jim Friday morning at 7am:

When we got together at 107.5 The River and decided to give away Titans/Steelers tickets with our Hospital Gurney contest, we had no idea it would become the firestorm of debate that it has.

We in no way wanted to make light of the injuries Tommy Maddox incurred here November 17th. We were simply looking for an unusual way to give away tickets. Many, many people in the Pittsburgh area thought that we hoped for an injury. That is not true. In fact, we were relieved that he recovered so quickly… and said so on numerous occasions on our show.

At 107.5 The River, we don’t want this contest to reflect poorly on the people of Nashville or the Tennessee Titans. All of whom were very supportive of Tommy Maddox.

We’re sorry.

That is why 107.5 The River will not do this contest. One person qualified for the tickets before we stopped it late yesterday. She will get those tickets.

In addition, the staff at 107.5 The River has purchased another set of Titans/Steelers tickets. We will auction these tickets on the air this morning. The money raised from the auction will benefit a charity named by Tommy Maddox and the Pittsburgh Steelers organization.

Thank you. Go Titans.

-Woody & Jim
107.5 The River

And go away Woody & Jim! We "were simply looking for an unusual way" to give away tickets?

I am not so knee-jerk that I need to be outraged by this...

Neither am I. But it does make you wonder what the Titans think of these guys. Nothing like giving your opponent even more of a reason to get fired up and kick some booty. If the players talk, they have a chance to back it up on the field. Let's hope they suit these guys up for one play.

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