Muhammad Wilkerson’s Mom Calls Radio Station to Rip Reporter

New York Daily News columnist Manish Mehta tweeted that Wilkerson has an alcohol problem.

The mother of former Jets defensive tackle Muhammad Wilkerson called a New York radio show on Friday to defend her son against allegations by a newspaper columnist that Wilkerson had a problem with alcohol. 

Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News appeared on WFAN’s “Boomer & Gio” show Friday morning to discuss a tweet he sent Thursday night in which he said Wilkerson shouldn’t play in New Orleans because he has a problem with alcohol. 

Wilkerson is getting some terrible advice. The last place he should be near given his issues with alcohol is Bourbon Street/French Quarter. Who is advising this guy? https://t.co/gy1pQTXBZ3

— Manish Mehta (@MMehtaSports) March 8, 2018

“To me that’s crossing a line and you put him out there basically calling him an alcoholic,”​ co-host Boomer Esiason, a former Jets player, told Mehta on the air. 

“I’m not saying he’s an alcoholic,” Mehta replied. “I don’t know that. If you interpret it that way, OK, that’s your interpretation.”

Esiason and co-host Gregg Giannotti spent more than 10 minutes discussing the tweet with Mehta. Mehta said he had heard Wilkerson’s tendency to be late for meetings had something to do with alcohol and that Wilkerson “may or may not have been sober” when he missed a walkthrough in 2016. 

After the segment, Wilkerson’s mother, Ka’idah, called in to defend her son.”

(Click here to listen if the audio does not appear above.)

“Where’s your proof, Manish, that Muhammad is an alcoholic?” Ka’idah asked. “Like, really. You always say all these things. I can’t tell you, Boomer, how I’m just livid. I’m just livid with him. Like, why do you keep saying these things about my son?”

Wilkerson, who was inactive for the final three games of the 2017 season due to chronic tardiness, was released by the Jets on Feb. 28, two years into a five-year contract.