Mike Francesa never forgets.
The WFAN legend brought much more than a peashooter on his latest BetRivers podcast. Francesa torched former Giants general manager Dave Gettleman out of the (relative) blue while chatting about the NFL draft with Sports Illustrated reporter Albert Breer, alleging Gettleman blackballed him from access to the team during his disastrous tenure.
“I never, ever thought the last hierarchy had a chance,” Francesa said. “I think the general manager was an embarrassment from Day 1. He and I were at war from Day 1. He basically banned me from the organization. He was a joke. He destroyed that organization while he was there. He’s gone now.”
A refresher: Francesa went nuclear on Gettleman after he took quarterback Daniel Jones with the No. 6 pick in the 2019 draft, arguing Gettleman screwed Eli Manning. Francesa called the Giants “losers” and Gettleman a “liar” while contending should have either moved on from Manning or used the pick to get him help for one last run. Francesa then made controversial comments about late-round pick Corey Ballentine being the victim of a shooting during the draft weekend, drawing further ire from the Giants.
The situation boiled over when Francesa skipped out on his annual pilgrimage to Giants training camp because Gettleman refused to make himself available for an interview, drawing fire from team PR czar Pat Hanlon. The Giants said at the time they were willing to give Francesa access to everyone else in the organization. But he declined to show and accused Gettleman of “hiding.”
Francesa retired from his drivetime show near the end of the 2019 season. He was off WFAN and its digital platforms for good by July 2020. But he continued to tee off on Gettleman and the Giants on Twitter and in various media appearances until Gettleman “retired” at the end of the 2021 season. And now the big guy is getting the last laugh on his new podcast.
As for the Giants’ new braintrust of head coach Brian Daboll and general manager Joe Schoen: Francesa is in wait-and-see mode.
“I have no feeling about these guys,” he said. “I don’t know if they’re going to stink or be good. I don’t know either one of them at all. I’ve heard good things about both guys, but that doesn’t mean anything.”
