The gabbagool has gone bad.
A brouhaha has emerged involving Giants quarterback Tommy DeVito, agent Sean Stellato, and Coniglio’s Old Fashioned, a Morristown, New Jersey pizzeria.
As explained by Bridget Reilly of the New York Post, DeVito was supposed to appear at an event on Tuesday night. After Stellato suddenly increased the fee from $10,000 to $20,000, Coniglio’s canceled.
Stellato responded to the accusation, telling sports business reporter Darren Rovell that “we didn’t have a signed contract,” and that “nothing was ever agreed to.”
Coniglio’s, however, has receipts for items other than large pies with extra muzzarell. Owner Nino Coniglio shared a message from Stellato in which he said they they are “good on the 2 hrs/10k.”
Was it a binding, legal document that could be enforced in court? Probably not. Is it a settled fee that shouldn’t have been doubled after the Giants beat the Packers last Monday night and DeVito’s fame grew? Absolutely.
After Sunday’s loss to the Saints, Stellato should grab the $10,000 while he can. For DeVito and Stellato, the clock could be ticking loudly on their mutual 15 minutes of fame. Soon, it will be $5,000. Not long after that, it will be less.
That might sound a little harsh, but it’s been a strange week for those of my specific heritage. And, as a full-blooded Italian whose grandparents immigrated to America a century ago, I’ll be relieved when the sand finally runs out of the over-the-top Murano glass hourglass marking DeVito’s first season in the NFL.
I truly hope he goes on to be a great quarterback, with the Giants or elsewhere. I also hope we can move past the PAISANO! phase of his career, quickly.
There’s a line, somewhere, between having fun with Italians and making fun of Italians. There’s a line, somewhere, between celebrating Italian heritage and mocking it.
I don’t know where the line is. I’m not trying to figure it out. I just know it’s there, somewhere.
I also know this. If DeVito belonged to any other ethnic group, most if not all of the skits and music and accents and comments seen and heard on multiple major networks over the past seven days never would have happened.
I’m not personally offended by anything I’ve seen or heard. I just wonder where the line is. I wonder whether others, Italian and non-Italian alike, are wondering that, too.
