Secrets of the City

My guess was his leave this summer was their attempt to give him a chance to turn around and now he screwed up and is out. It is too bad, but what else do you do with an addict? Sometimes the addict needs to hit rock bottom.

They were talking about this on WCCO-AM yesterday. Dubay had signed a “morals clause” in his contract, hense the firing.

It sucks anytime someone is denied their livelihood because of their illness. But if it was affecting his job performance in some way, I suppose the firing is justified.

Is this one of those deals where it’s a felony simply because it’s crack? A situation where the same amount of powder cocaine would be a misdemeanor?

There is mare to this story. I guarantee it.

There is mare to this story. I guarantee it.

That’s a horse of a different color for sure!

Wait, this isn’t the open thread with the puns. Sorry!

A different horse besides the already dead one? Mares. Anyway, it’s crack, not heroin!

Miller, from what I know, you can be charged with felony drug possion for crack by holding less than what you could be charged with a misdemenor for coke. That’s what a lot of drug law reformers are trying to rectify.

I see it as more of a publicity move for KFAN. The story was covered fairly steadily for the past week and having someone on staff that people may view as a junkie is bad PR. The thing about addiction is that it usually grows, it takes more to achieve that high and that where the potential of theft comes in and it’s a huge liability for someone with an addiction to have the keys to a station vehicle.

One of the interesting subplots to this story is our culture’s views of drugs themselves.

We’ve gone from “Phew! At least it wasn’t meth!” to “Ah! It’s crack, not coke!”

I’m assuming if he had been busted smoking a spliff outside a KFC we’d just be having a good laugh about all of this.

Somewhere there’s a lesson in all of this, but it’s escaping me. “If you’re going to use illicit drugs, just make sure it’s not meth”?

Yes.

There’s a history of TV anchors in town with alcohol abuse problems being sent off to rehab to dry out. People have had DWI’s and not been fired.

But drugs… I don’t know of a precedent.

A Chicago TV Morning anchor got caught up in an extortion plot, I believe he was using heroin. He’s still on the air (after rehab).

The problem with crack is the violence and devestation of the 80’s and 90’s that it’s associated with, along with the media hysteria involving crack babies and the like. Even though we chuckle about doing lines of coke off a hooker’s ass or talk about the glamour days of coke, people tend to forget how it’s negatively affected Colombia and other Latin and Central American companies, due to the developed world’s taste for it and governmental policies.

Frankly, I’m surprised he wasn’t busted with Oxy, as that seems to be all the rage now.

There is mare to this story. I guarantee it.

In other news, I’m an idiot.

It’s nothing short of amazing how social attitudes toward drugs have changed in 30 years. Even into the late ’80s, getting caught with a bag of weed would still have resulted in only the issuing of misdemeanor citation. Yes, we did appear to more tolerant (or, at least, forgiving) back then for recreational quantities that might be found.

This may have been a case where there was prior use, hence the “morals clause” contract inclusion. If so, then the alleged defendant has only himself to blame. Yes, both Dave Moore and Don Shelby had very public bouts with alcoholism but both went through rehab. Had either been subsequently found “too ill” to work, I’m sure they would’ve been shown the door.

Noodleman, depends on what state you live in though. I seem to remember hearing that a bag of weed could put you in prison for 5 years in some states.

God, I love VH1’s Rock Docs.

I think the MN sentencing enhancements were changed in 1992 to make the punishments equal for powder or crack.

 Increased penalties for sale or possession of powder
cocaine to be identical to the penalties for sale or possession
of crack cocaine.

Also, I think that posession of a narcotic, schedule 2 drug (cocaine) is an automatic felony in Minnesota.
I didn’t think misdemeanors existed for coke posession.

Oh, and “It sucks anytime someone is denied their livelihood because of their illness.”
Denied their livelihood? He made that choice when he bought his first ball and stayed up all night.
This is where we start arguing that becoming a cocaine addict is beyond one’s control and is unavoidable.
Give me a break.

Exactly baker. In no way is anyone but Dubay himself denying Jeff Dubay of his livelihood. He smoked the crack, KFAN won’t take him back.

Good to know, baker.

Yeah, I agree that he pretty much did it to himself, despite obviously given a chance to clean himself up.

Silly me. I was under the impression that doing coke got one promoted in radio, not fired.

Silly me. I was under the impression that doing coke got one promoted in radio, not fired.

Correct assumption, wrong radio format.

@aliecat: I’m old enough to remember when pot possession in Minnesota (and many other states) was decriminalized in the ’70s. I’m also young enough to remember when the “war on drugs” recriminalized simple possession ca. mid-’90s. Back in the day, getting busted with an oz. meant a $25 “traffic” ticket. (I’m almost positive confiscation wasn’t even an issue back then, too.)

Crack don’t smoke itself.

I’ve always wanted to be Paul Allen’s sidekick, but I do feel bad for Jeff and hope he gets his shit together.

I’ve always wanted to be Paul Allen’s sidekick, but I do feel bad for Jeff and hope he gets his shit together.

I’m pretty sure if you get caught with under an ounce of weed you only get a a citation, though they may haul you in for fun and weighing the weed.

And it is sad when someone loses their job due to an illness and I’m glad his employer allowed him time off to get help this summer. One thing I took away from the Carr book was that someone “in the life” needs a lot more time than just 28 days of treatment. I hope that Dubay can get his shit together and get back on the air.

I vote for Michelle Tafoya to team up with PA-copyright her reduced ESPN duties

Never liked him.

That’s a horse of a different color for sure!

Say “neigh” to drugs!

One thing I took away from the Carr book was that someone “in the life” needs a lot more time than just 28 days of treatment. I hope that Dubay can get his shit together and get back on the air.

Certainly, but in certain fields your margin for error is very low, like nursing. While radio isn’t medicine, he did sign an agreement, and the fact that he was given one chance is more than fair. My neighbor is an RN and was busted for Vicodin addiction. He was allowed one more chance if he went to rehab for 28 days and submitted to random tests for 3 years. Even though it was extremely hard for him, but he did it because his job was on the line. Yes, addiction is a disease, but addicts also need to take responsibility for their actions.

I’ve never taken a drug that hasn’t been prescribed to me and don’t understand people even try them in the first place. that being said, i do understand that an addict who tries drugs will have alife long battle to quit.
I hope Jeff all the best in his recovery and hope that he will find the airways again.

To all of u making comments about Jeff Dubay… Inside of every addict is a lost person! Prior to the recent events and his drug usage Jeff was a very good man. He is one of the most considerate and caring men that I have ever known. These recent events have shocked even me and that is all due to the person that I have known him to be. I was there at the very beginning of the PA and Dubay show when Jesse was elected as Governor of Minnesota. I will tell you that these events are as far from the character of Jeff Dubay as could possibly be. So for those of you who wish to speak of someone as though you know them and their battles personally, I think it is time to have a little consideration for people who have fallen on bad ground and it is always easier to point the finger at someone else than to look at ourselves. I wish Jeff the best of luck with his recovery and pray that one day he will again be the man that many of us once knew and I truely believe that he will kick this and find his way to the airways again soon. And… “You just can’t make that stuff up!”

I’m a firm believer in second chances but I do think at some point in time, enough is enough. He had several opportunities that were given to him by his employer and the drugs trumped his career. A convicted felon has a very hard time finding work, not a chance we see or hear him on the radio again which is sad because I liked him. Good luck to him, he’s gonna need it.

I think he was aware of the risks before doing this. There is no excuse for doing drugs (our body doesn’t need them biologically). Paul risked too much on this, I think this is a real lesson of responsibility for him, too bad he had to learn it this way.

I’m healed and will be returning to the ‘Fan in the fall. Thanks for all of the kind words.

Jeff Dubay (Plymouth, MN)

This thread just got out of rehab. Hit ‘em up.

Let’s hope this was the Real Jeff and that he is doing well.

Considering he’s about to do 6 months in the workhouse, I highly doubt that was the real Jeff Dubay.