Boston sports radio station WEEI announced major personnel changes on Wednesday that include the end of former New England Patriots player Christian Fauria’s tenure at the station.
The network also fired Mr. Fauria’s daytime co-host, Andy Gresh, and announced a series of programming changes.
Fauria, who played for the Patriots from 2002 to 2005, was suspended by the network in 2018 after he performed an over-the-top, stereotypical Asian accent impersonation to mock sports agent Dong Yee. Fauria later apologized, and the network suspended his show for a day to require sensitivity training.
The network also announced Wednesday that afternoon co-host Adam Jones would move to the daytime show and be joined by weeknight host Rich Keef. Keef previously shared that time slot with former WEEI host Dale Arnold, who has since left the network. Jones and Keef previously shared an evening show together at rival station 98.5 The Sports Hub.
Andy Hart, who has previously worked primarily as a substitute host and writer for the network’s website, will now co-host the afternoon show with Christian Arcand, who has served as the third host for the afternoon show for the past two years.
Megan Ottolini, co-host of the afternoon show, will no longer appear on the show on a regular basis, but will remain with the network as a staff writer for its website and occasionally fill in as a stand-in host, the network said.
It has not been announced who will fill in for Keefe on the night.
“These exciting updates bring together a deep pool of New England talent to continue delivering top-class content to Boston’s avid sports fans,” said Mike Thomas, senior vice president and market manager for Audacy Boston, which owns the station. “Adam Jones and Rich Keef’s exceptional on-air style and rapport will energize the daytime programming, while Andy Hart and Christian Alkan’s experience will help elevate the afternoon programming. We look forward to this new chapter in WEEI’s weekdays that will continue to make WEEI the destination for all things Boston sports.”
WEEI, once Boston’s leading sports radio station, has lagged behind 98.5 The Sports Hub in ratings in recent years.
The programming changes are expected to begin next week.