There’s definitely a chill in the air following Akiem Hicks’ latest radio appearance.
On Tuesday, the Bears defensive end cut his conversation on ESPN’s “Waddle & Silvy Show” short after co-host Tom Waddle made a “joke” about an elbow injury Hicks sustained in Chicago’s loss to Oakland in October.
“You mean you didn’t stick your arm between the two Raiders and it popped out a joint on purpose?” Waddle said of the gruesome Week 5 injury.
“That’s a joke?” Hicks said. “You don’t joke against somebody’s injury.”
Though Waddle, a former Bears receiver, apologized, the damage was already done in Hicks’ eyes.
“I’m perfectly respectful. I’ll tell you what, you will not joke about an injury. You have a blessed day, this is the last time I’m on this radio station,” said Hicks, who has a weekly spot on the show.
The bad blood spilled over to social media, after Hicks tweeted, “Lol they got me! Baited me right into it. Good work.”
“.@The_Dream99, there was no getting you. We don’t ‘bait’ ANY of our guests. Not how we work. The relationships we’ve built w/ Chicago athletes over the 13yrs we’ve been on the air is second to none. It was a simple misunderstanding. #Respect,” fellow co-host Marc Silverman replied.
Hicks later responded to Silverman, noting, “Your actions speak for themselves.”
“13 years on air and with other athletes has no bearing when it comes to right and wrong. And you making light of a serious injury is not what athletes come on the show for,” he wrote.
Hicks, who is currently on injured reserved, can reportedly come back for Week 15 of the season. The Bears are a disappointing 5-6 after going 12-4 and winning the NFC North a season ago.
