Update (3/27/2014): Tony Rizzo pleaded no contest to a lesser charge this morning, a fourth degree misdemeanor of “persistent disorderly conduct.”
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Original story (12/9/2013): Tony Rizzo, the 52-year-old host of The Really Big Show on ESPN Radio in Cleveland and the Rizzo Show on Fox 8 on Sundays, was arrested at his home in Medina on Friday on charges of domestic violence.
His wife called 911 while locked in the bathroom at 8:17 p.m. on Friday, according to the report from the Medina police. Rizzo had been drinking before choking her and hitting her in the face: “My husband is hurting me and he’s very irate and I’m really scared,” she told the dispatcher. A police officer arrived minutes later. The narrative from the dispatcher says: “ANTHONY RIZZO (HUSBAND) HITTING IN FACE.. CATHERINE (WIFE) LOCKED IN THE BATHROOM ON MAIN FLOOR.”
Rizzo, whose radio show airs weekdays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m, briefly mentioned the incident on air today, but said he couldn’t elaborate, according to a listener. He quickly moved on to talk about the Browns. He was on air yesterday doing his normal Browns coverage.
Fox 8, the station that employs Rizzo, was the first to report the story just after 11 a.m. today: “Tony Rizzo sent a text to Fox 8 News, in which he declined to comment on his arrest and the domestic violence allegations.”
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Update (1:35 p.m): Scene obtained the audio of the 911 call Tony Rizzo’s wife made as she was locked in her bathroom Friday night. She mentions Rizzo was banging on the door but left when he realized she was calling the police and that he had a gun in the house.
Dispatcher: What’s going on?
Wife: My husband is hurting me and he’s very irate and I’m really scared.
Dispatcher: Hurting you how?
Wife: Choking me, (unintelligible, possibly “dragging”), hitting my face. I’m locked in the bathroom right now.
Dispatcher: Are there any weapons in the house?”
Wife: There’s a gun upstairs.
Dispatcher: Are you upstairs or downstairs?
Wife: No, I’m downstairs.
Dispatcher: Any children in the house?
Wife: No, not tonight.
Dispatcher: is he drunk?
Wife: Yes, we’ve been drinking.
Dispatcher: What is he doing right now?
Wife: He was beating the door but he left when he heard that I was calling you.
Dispatcher: What’s his name?
Wife: Tony Rizzo.
Dispatcher: And your name?
Wife: Catherine Rizzo.
This article appears in Mar 26 – Apr 1, 2014.
wtf rizzo? sad.
C’mon Riz….
You don’t hit girls…..
She really does sound like she is lying….the “ummmm……” part and just the stammering alone make me suspect. Probably got caught cheating and he went bananas and this was her only recourse….
Riz would never do anything like this. What a bunch of BS. Can’t wait for the real story to break. Hang in there T.
He should be fired and all the dudes on here like saying she is lying and excusing this behavior should be hanged – we don’t need men like you and him.
So Franklin44 you want to fire him and hang everyone before you even know the facts…44 must be your IQ…if that high
he was probably drunk and mad that Ohio State lost.
this happened Friday night before the bucks played, Mike Mahne. Failed attempt at comedy really makes you look bad here.
Dude, Rizzo had a BAD WEEKEND. This happened BEFORE the Bucks and Browns games.
I bet him and his wife “stumbled” onto information in their drunken night and that set him off.
Should never hit your wife….but it sure would be nice if she didn’t call the cops when you did.
Woman here, and I would want to hear all the facts before throwing him to the curb. With someone like him in the public spotlight, it would be so easy for her to do something like this when it was probably just a fight and she wanted to make trouble. I’m not taking sides, but how many people are vindictive and would take advantage of this situation?
Not sure I’m on board believing this…seems way to calm but. Let’s all wait before we pass judgement. I really like Rizzo..he said he did nothing wrong..let’s let it play out.
not a shocker to me many years ago is cane in to my work late night drunk rude and very unkind . he need help . I feel for his wife
I too want to know ALL THE FACTS!!
Because i was a victim of a domestic case caused by a angry woman that said i beat her up! All i did was tell her to leave MY house.While i was in Medina jail she stole everything i had literally! The case was dismissed but still lost Everything i had in my home!
So dont judge till we know!
Stop drinking Rizzo. You are too scrawny and the vodka gets you every time. You smell like a booze hound in public, yeah you might think people can’t smell vodka, but they can.
Why the dislikes for Jean, she’s right. Human’s can be very vindictive, especially if backed into a corner. None of us know what happened so it’s hard for me to pass judgement. There are two sides to every story and as they say, somewhere in the middle lies the truth. Only those two will ever know the real truth and they have to live with it. But I will say, she does sound rather nonchalant for someone who was being hit and choked. We will see.
That doesn’t sound like someone who had just been choked and hit in the face.
I too want ALL the facts!
I was a Victim of an angry ex that had me locked up saying i ” choked and slapped her” I was locked up in medina jail ! While i was in there she stole EVERYTHING I had in MY house!
Charges were dropped when my neighbor told the judge ” she took everything she said it was hers” And SHE lied again to the prosecutor saying she didnt take anything!
Charges were dropped but i still lost EVERYTHING!!!
So dont judge till you know the WHOLE story!
GL Rizzo Medina’s tough! Even after i proved she was lying they still tried to charge me!
That woman didn’t sound like she was scared, choaked or hit in the face. Anyone one of those thing would have made her sound very different.
Hearing that Michael Reghi was boning his wife and he found out…
Little man’s disease, he is a chump hitting on a woman.
The tape doesn’t sound real. I mean, Rizzo’s wife doesn’t sound frantic, she sounds a bit tippsy to me. There is an Ohio domestic violence law that allows the police officer to charge both parties with domestic violence ? I think that the police should arrest both parties. This way they get the right one.
Rizzo is a loser who thinks his shit don’t smell!!
It is unbelievable that that piece of garbage could keep his job. Is there no respect in society today for men beating up on women? Disgusting.
I thought that part of a domestic violence investigation was to routinely photograph the injuries of the victim–is this not true any longer? Or maybe that was never true? WHERE ARE THE PICTURES OF TONY’S WIFE? This would at least begin to answer some questions.
what a loser wonder what that idiot Hammer thinks that punk probably thinks it is funny.
Allegation Allegations. It’s All Allegations. I bet the first time someone was found GUILTY for making false Allegations and was hung out to dry and publicly humiliated and placed in the public spotlight and fined and imprisoned and ordered to pay damages. Not to mention the fact that all those who report and feed the “Allegation-gator” also were held responsible we would find less people making them. What ever happened to “innocent until proven Guilty” Oh yea thats right only when it comes to a police officer shooting a couple or beating up on a person does that apply or when a politician lie’s..
Big fan of his, really disappointing to see him linked to something like this. Wish him, his wife and family get through this difficult time, especially before the holiday.
Good now maybe they will end The really big show, you know that show where they read ads, tell lame hammer stories while fitting in ads, then go to commercial
No one is ever going to really ever know all of the facts. Just because she wasn’t freaking out doesn’t mean it didn’t happen. And just because her face is or isn’t a bruised/ bloody mess doesn’t mean she wasn’t hurt. But, with that said…. He’s a small dude, if he hit ya, don’t call the cops… Beat his ass back. I hate chicks who cry abuse then stay.
Dispatcher asking “hurting you now”,stupid MFER.
There is anything a woman can do that would be acceptable for a man to choke her and beat on her. Period!
The clown looks like a Halloween skeleton.
Dan Bennett your an idiot. No she did Not get caught cheating he the guy she always wanted and got. But let’s say that was the case which it’s not Dan Bennett your an idiot for thinking any reason is ok for a man to physically assault a women and she is not the type of women who would call and make a fake report. He has anger issues and that with an alcohol issue is nothing but trouble.
Dan Bennett your an idiot. No she did not get caught cheating he is the man that she has always wanted and got but let’s say that is the case Dan Bennett you are still an idiot. There is no reason a man should ever put his hands on a women and she is not the type of women who would call and make a fake police report. He is a man with anger and alcohol issues which means nothing but trouble but he has a good lawyer so…….
If this was a non public figure people would not be blaming her. Something happen to warrant her calling cops. Get off his jock. No one knows what happens behind close door. This is a know when situation they have kids. Bless the family
I guess he will be making several calls to Russo Rosalina?
You can be choked and hit without marks appearing, and there is no correct way to make a 911 call. So don’t assume that she is wrong or crazy. His track record points to him not her.
He got upset when he found out she was cheating on him with his RUG.
How he do with alcohol no matter with hit. How he do in air ain’t straight playing a fool and actin scared. You agree?
He go to Pittsburgh and pee on stadium grass. That no got to do wife, you play? Why he do it to family. Don’t add up. All on board?
I just stumbled on this, and I realize it’s from mid December. Any updates with this, or more facts come to light?
OH come on. A loud mouth know-it-all sports talker has a temper problem and beats up on women? No way. Next you’ll be telling me that a football player raped a woman.
im not sure i want to know how Crabtree Nick got his name. I mean, he could have crab trees in his yard, or it could be something else…
Reliable source told me she stole his Jobe’s and since he missed that day’s dose, he didn’t feel great and have all that energy he gets from the bee pollen ! Rizz then explained to Karmazin that if he were to get canned he would take Jobe and the huge advertising dollars to 92.3 the Fan. Russo Rosalina has already crafted his defense that missing his dose of Jobe’s that day caused him extreme anxiety, coupled with the fact that his wife was going to expose his closet relationship with Kokinis, is what caused Rizz to hit the sauce and fly into a rage. No punches were thrown but his wife wants to get that Channel 8 pension and what better way to divorce court then to call the cops and then have her reason to divorce him and get the cash. Long legal battle to follow.
It’s amazing how dumb some people are. You don’t know this guy in real life… You’ve seen him on tv and heard him on the radio… You have no idea what he is capable of.
time for him to leave Cleveland!
The clown’s photos are a great way to warn people about too many late nights for too many years. It’s Good to Be (Somewhat) Alive!
It sounds like Miss Catherine is the one who needs an Escape…
Domestic violence is not a joke ….I was beaten and sent to the hospital .with broken bones …… I didn’t want anything from him….I was lucky to still be alive… My freedom and not ever seeing him again. I Thank God….for God’s gift of Freedom……Best move I ever made. Remember this “if you never walked the walk …you can’t talk the talk”
Thank God.
Rizzo is such a hypocrite. He blasts Ray Rice on the radio for domestic violence and approved of his suspension, yet Rizzo beat his wife in an alcoholic rage but did not get a fine or suspension from his job.
That pencil neck coward Rizzo can only handle beating a defenseless woman. The guy is such a pathetic, frail, coke head pansy and is one ugly excuse for a man.