Buffalo Wild Wings Drops Steve Rannazzisi From Ads After Actor Admits to 9/11 Lie

'The League' star was nowhere near the World Trade Center that day.

Everyone tells little white lies now and again, but fabricating a role in a national tragedy? That's just abhorrent. Comedian Steve Rannazzisi, who stars in FXX's fantasy football-centric TV series The League, is feeling the repercussions after admitting that he lied about escaping from the World Trade Center during the September 11 attacks: The New York Daily News reports that Buffalo Wild Wings will no longer air Rannazzisi's TV spots.

As Vox explains, Rannazzisi "repeatedly claimed in interviews he had been working in the Merrill Lynch offices in the south tower when the first plane hit, narrowly escaping before the building fell." On Wednesday, however, Rannazzisi issued a statement via his publicist that admitted the story was untrue. "I was not at the Trade Center on that day. I don’t know why I said this. This was inexcusable. I am truly, truly sorry," it read in part. Rannazzisi told the New York Times that he was actually working in Midtown that day; the paper also found that Merrill Lynch "has no record of his employment and had no offices in either tower."

While Rannazzisi won't be appearing in any more chicken wing commercials, FXX appears to be sticking by him: The network's parent company FX released a statement saying they "believe Steve is sincere in his apology and will do everything he can to make amends moving forward." (The League is currently airing its seventh and final season.) Per the New York Daily News, Comedy Central is still deciding whether or not to pull Rannazzisi's comedy special that's slated to air Saturday night.

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