Skip to main content
georgia logo

Local radio host calls Stetson Bennett a 'punk' in grasp at relevancy

On3 imageby:Wes Blankenship•01/03/23
On3 image

A local Knoxville radio host thinks Stetson Bennett is “a punk.” Erik Ainge, host of his namesake show, made some pretty personal comments about the Georgia quarterback to start the new year off salty.

For my usual ‘Bloody Tuesday’ readers, here’s this week’s installment. It’s all about Ainge and Bennett.

(If you haven’t read my weekly column about Georgia football hot takes, subscribe to DawgsHQ now to see my takes… on their takes.)

Whether Stetson Bennett is indeed a punk or not is not for me to decide. I do know that the dude is just a freakin’ winner.

Ainge, undeniably, is just a common ‘hater,’ as the kids used to say.

How else can you possibly interpret the disgust he harbors for The Mailman?

“You know who I can’t stand though? Stetson Bennett. It was cute when he first got to play and played pretty good. And now the whole like, ‘I’m a walk-on, I’m a JUCO transfer…’ he’s like 28-3 as a starter at Georgia or something like that,” Ainge said on The Erik Ainge Show.

“I’m cheering hard against him. I want Georgia not to just lose the game – I don’t want them to lose with Stetson Bennett throwing 4 touchdowns. I want Stetson Bennett to throw 4 picks and cost his team a championship. He’s such a punk.”

You can listen to Ainge’s comments here at the 25:43 mark for the full context of how he sounded on the air.

How many times does Stetson Bennett have to teach Erik Ainge this lesson?

Ainge already stepped in it with his take on Sanford Stadium crowd noise before the Tennessee game this season.

Maybe he learned that Georgia fans will help stir the pot for him when he makes an incendiary remark.

If so, congrats to the former Outback Bowl MVP for gaining another few minutes of relevancy. I fell for it. I’m using my words and YouTube production time on him today.

But let’s not pretend that there isn’t a personal edge to these remarks. This isn’t just about a Tennessee guy not liking Georgia.

It sounds like Ainge stops short of saying, ‘I can’t stand him,’ on the air.

Is that good radio? I’m not a radio host, so I’m not sure.

I usually tune in to sports shows to hear about sports. I don’t tune it to hear about the host’s insecurities when it comes to other players’ career achievements, or to hear them cheer for their downfall.

Stetson Bennett doesn’t need me or anyone else to defend him from Erik Ainge

The Mailman’s list of career achievements includes the descriptions National Championship MVP, SEC Championship MVP, Peach Bowl MVP Orange Bowl MVP, and Heisman Trophy finalist.

Ainge, who also played at Tennessee for four years – and beat Georgia three times – led his Volunteers to a memorable Outback Bowl victory in which he won the game’s MVP Award.

He will have at least one more career win as Tennessee’s quarterback than Bennett can possibly have as Georgia’s starter.

And I’m all about Bloomin’ Onions, man.

But they don’t exactly stack up well against all that hardware Bennett already has, let alone the legacy he could possibly leave behind if Georgia wins his final game.

You may also like