MIchael Kay has cake on his face.
The ESPN radio host said Monday on “The Michael Kay Show” that Giants coach Brian Daboll had a “huge” party at his house Saturday night, the night before the Giants no-showed in their 40-0 humiliating loss to the Cowboys.
Well, turns out Daboll did have a party Saturday — for his six-year-old son’s birthday.
Kay, to his credit, completely owned his shoddy reporting.
“I need to make a heartfelt apology to Brian Daboll,” Kay said Tuesday. “I found out after, and I should have done more work, I’m a complete ass for doing this, and I feel sorry for any pain I might have caused that family by insinuating anything. I found out later it was a party for his six-year-old, it was a birthday party. I should have dug deeper and I didn’t think it was going to be a big thing but it became sort of a big thing last night and I want to cut it off at the legs and say that is on me and I was irresponsible because I didn’t check it out further and I apologize to anybody that was impacted by my flippant remark about a party at his house.
“I feel like a complete idiot and I’m really, really sorry to Brian Daboll, Brian Daboll’s family and the Giants as well, they’ve always been very fair with us. I am really, really apologetic.
“I can’t put myself out anymore than this because this was a huge mistake. That’s not the show we are, we’re not a sensationalistic show and I just made a comment not thinking it would be that big of a deal, and if it was a big deal I want to apologize and pull the rug out from under it.”
Kay created the controversy when he revealed during Monday’s show that Daboll hosted a party at his house before the season opener – which he said Tuesday happened Saturday afternoon.
A party roughly 24 hours before one of the most embarrassing games in franchise history seemingly would not be a good look for a coach.
Kay used that tidbit to explain how the Giants did not expect such a one-sided affair.
“I have it on good authority that Brian Daboll had a huge party at his house on Saturday night. This is truth” Kay said Monday. “You’re not throwing a big party if you’re about to get your butt kicked by the Cowboys. So, this took everybody by surprise and that’s what’s scary. Nobody expected this sort of blowout. They thought that they were going to play with them and they didn’t even show up.
“That scares me guys. That shows me that they don’t even know their own team. There’s no way the head coach of a team throws a huge party like that the night before the opener if they think that there’s a chance that they’re going to get blown out. They just don’t do that.”
Kay said he found out during the Jets’ game that his hot tip lacked important context.
Daboll and his wife, Beth, have six children.
“I couldn’t have felt worse. That’s just not who I am,” Kay said of learning about his mistake. “I’m not that sensationalistic, guys. I’m sorry, sorry, sorry. I wish I could take it back but I couldn’t.”
He added: “I was a complete ass.”
The Giants look to bounce back in Week 2 when they face the Cardinals on Sunday afternoon.