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Toronto play-by-play legend who now works for the Bulls was called out for his criticism of Chicago Bears coach Ben Johnson.
Published Jan 14, 2026 • 3 minute read
Former voice of teh Toronto Raptors Chuck Swirsky shares a laugh with Courtney Triano, daughter of former assistant coach Jay Triano in 2004.
Former voice of teh Toronto Raptors Chuck Swirsky shares a laugh with Courtney Triano, daughter of former assistant coach Jay Triano, in 2004. Toronto Sun files
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Chuck Swirsky may have been a legend during his time in Toronto as the voice of the Raptors, but his act apparently has run thin in Chicago.
Swirsky was slammed by ESPN 1000 host Mark Silverman in a vicious rant on Tuesday, labelling the current Bulls announcer as a “rat” and a “bad dude.”
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The blowup was sparked by a tweet from the Swirsky, who served as Raptors’ play-by-play man from 1998-2008, calling out Chicago Bears head coach Ben Johnson for saying, “F*** the Packers,” following Saturday’s wild-card win.
Swirsky has since deleted his tweet.
“People don’t realize what a bad dude he is,” Silverman said Tuesday. “He is a guy that will shake your hand and stab you in the back. He’s one of the worst people out there.”
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Silverman proceeded to rip into Swirsky, sharing alleged stories of deceitful behaviour behind the scenes.
“For Chuck Swirsky to think that anybody cares what he thinks about Ben Johnson swearing in a victorious locker room, it’s absolutely ridiculous,” he said. “Chuck Swirsky is another guy who will never call out (White Sox and Bulls owner) Jerry Reinsdorf. He will continually kiss his ass.
“He’d rather lose 60 games a year as the announcer of the Bulls than care about what Ben Johnson is doing with a win. That guy is awful, he’s a bad dude and he’s not good at his job.”
How did Swirsky respond?
According to the Chicago Sun-Times, Swirsky declined to comment.
“I respect your question. I hope you respect my answer,” he told the outlet. “No comment.”
Silverman accused Swirsky of trying to get rid of several hosts at ESPN Chicago in 2009 after the departure of Dan McNeil from The Afternoon Saloon.
“Swirsky was the first guy to call the bosses telling them to get rid of Jurko (John Jurkovic) and Harry (Teinowitz). No one will do a better job at that show than me,” Silverman said. “When we used to put Bill Wennington on and (Swirsky) used to complain about us to our bosses. That we were putting Wennington on, who was a former NBA champion, over him.”
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Wennington and Swirsky have worked together since 2008, when Bulls games aired on ESPN 1000 before moving over to another station.
‘Stabbed in the back’
Silverman also said that he felt “stabbed in the back” by Swirsky in the past.
“I finally had enough of him. He would shake my hand and stab me in the back. I’ve experienced it,” Silverman said. “I would see him at Bulls games, this is what he’d do, and then a day later, he was going up to Jerry Reinsdorf, showing the mean tweets that people were saying about the Bulls.
“What a rat. What a bad person. I hope you give him hell. There are not many people in this business that I don’t like. I care about my relationships. That is one of the worst guys.”
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He added: “Chuck Swirsky has stirred it up in thistown, butacting likehe’sa goodperson for years and years and years. And those, in my opinion, arethe worst people in the world.”
Swirsky’s legacy with the Raptors
During his time in Toronto, Swirsky was known for his boisterous calls during games.
He created several well-known catchphrases like “Onions, baby, onions!” for clutch, late-game three-pointers and “Salami and cheese!” when a game was effectively over.
He also hosted The Chuck Swirsky Show radio show on The Fan 590 before leaving Toronto in May 2008 due to personal reasons related to his family.
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