NEW ORLEANS — A battle on the airwaves is brewing in New Orleans.
It all started when Mayor Latoya Cantrell’s former bodyguard Jeffrey Vappie appeared in an hour-long interview on WBOK radio.
Vappie now faces federal charges for allegedly having a romantic relationship with the mayor while on the clock.
The WBOK interview made plenty of headlines and it came up during another interview on WWL radio.
“He is going continue to be in denial that there was something done wrong,” attorney Justin Schmidt said about Vappie.
Schmidt represents the woman who took pictures of Cantrell and Vappie dining together on a French Quarter balcony in April.
Schmidt is suing the mayor and others claiming they violated his client's civil rights.
During the WWL radio interview, Schmidt also had this to say about WBOK.
“I’ve listened to WBOK long enough to know, over the years, that they don’t have a problem with some certain things that are downright criminal, I mean activities,” Schmidt said. “It’s part of the whole we’re due this. This is entitlement.”
Businessman Troy Henry is a co-owner of WBOK.
“I reached out to him to let him know that I thought that WBOK was one being unfairly represented and that they warranted, we warranted an apology,” Henry said.
Henry said for 75 years, his radio station has given voice to the voiceless in New Orleans.
“He (Schmidt) had no intention [of] apologizing. He was very dismissive, and I didn’t take kindly to that because I felt like he didn’t understand the level of damage that he was inflicting on my employees and staff.”
Co-owner and actor Wendell Pierce agrees.
“I’m not going to let anyone go on to the airwaves and just say that myself, my company, my partners are complicit in criminal activity,” Pierce said. “I didn’t appreciate it. I found it defamatory.”
WBOK owners gave Schmidt until Wednesday to issue a public apology. They said if one is not received, they will likely pursue both legal action and a bar complaint against him.
“What he is implying is you are aware of criminal activity and it’s okay with you,” Pierce said.
In a statement to WWL Louisiana, Schmidt said in part, his comments were taken out of context.
“If Messrs. Pierce, Henry and Jeff Thomas construed my comments to suggest that they were criminals, I do sincerely apologize for this misunderstanding,” Schmidt said.
“That was not my intention. By the way, as I told him yesterday, I do very much enjoy Mr. Pierce’s acting.”
WWL Radio and WWL Louisiana are not owned by the same company but have a content-sharing partnership.
