Entourage star Jerry Ferrara tipped as Craig Carton’s replacement at WFAN after Fox Sports’ crucial decision

Craig Carton has been working double-duty in the sports media world for about the last nine months. He made a triumphant return to WFAN in the New York market in 2020 following his release from prison. He currently serves as the afternoon host for Carton & Roberts on weekdays. Fox Sports also hired him in September 2022 to host The Carton Show on weekday mornings.

Rumors began circling a few months ago that he could potentially be considering leaving WFAN after Fox Sports reportedly made him an offer to join them full-time. After much deliberation, he's apparently accepted their massive seven-figure offer, according to Andrew Marchand of the New York Post.

Marchand explained Carton's reason for his decision:

"For Carton, the financial difference between WFAN and FS1 was too great and the previous schedule was too daunting to remain on afternoon radio in New York."

Craig Carton is a legend of New York and sports radio. His previous morning show Boomer & Carton paired him with former NFL quarterback Boomer Esiason of the New York Jets and the Cincinnati Bengals.

They consistently dominated the morning ratings. Carton has done so again over the last few years with Evan Roberts on his afternoon show, convincingly beating out The Michael Kay Show as their top competitor.

With Carton reportedly leaving WFAN, the big question is now centered around who will replace him. His exit is expected to be quick as he is rumored to be officially moving on within the next few weeks. WFAN has apparently not chosen a replacement quite yet but is considering a couple of options.

According to Marchand:

"Internally, Tiki Barber is the leading candidate while, externally, Jerry Ferrara is someone WFAN will consider, according to sources."

Tiki Barber currently hosts WFAN's mid-day show Tiki & Tierney with his co-host Brandon Tierney. The former New York Giants running back could possibly be promoted to join Evan Roberts in the afternoon. Jerry Ferrara, most popularly known as "Turtle" on the hit HBO series Entourage, is allegedly the leading outside candidate.

Ferrara has served as a celebrity guest host several times on WFAN, joining Craig Carton and Evan Roberts. He's a well-known New York sports fan and also has plenty of sports media experience. He currently hosts the Unleashed podcast for BetMGM, which focuses on sports. He also has several other podcasts of his own.

Why did Craig Carton go to prison?

Craig Carton

Craig Carton was convicted of fraud in 2018 and was sentenced to three and a half years in prison. He was also forced to pay nearly $5 million in restitution. He was found guilty of essentially being involved in a Ponzi scheme worth $5.6 million.

The financial fraud committed by Carton was mostly to raise money to pay back the many casinos that he had accumulated gambling debts. Following his conviction, he has opened up about his battle with compulsive gambling addiction.

Carton claims to be clean and completely free of wagering these days. He's currently an advocate for recovery and hosts a weekly radio show on WFAN called Hello, My Name is Craig, focused on raising awareness about gambling addiction.