'The League' Star Steve Rannazzisi Admits He Completely Fabricated 9/11 Escape Story

A central and oft-repeated element in The League star SteveRannazzisi's rise to fame has been his assertion that the tragic events of September 11, 2001 were what initially spurred him to seriously pursue his career in entertainment, prompting a sudden move from New York to Los Angeles shortly after the World Trade Center attacks. Rannazzisi has stated on multiple occasions that he was working for Merrill Lynch on the 54th floor of the south tower when the first hijacked plane struck the north tower, adding that he narrowly escaped certain death by running into the streets and having a tidy coming-of-age moment.

On Tuesday, Rannazzisi revealed that he actually made the entire thing up. "I was not at the Trade Center that day," the comedian said in a statement. "I don't know why I said this. This was inexcusable. I am truly, truly sorry." Rannazzisi also took to Twitter to express his regrets surrounding his fabrication's potential impact on actual 9/11 victims and escapees:

Though FX Productions, who recently premiered the first episode of The League's seventh and final season, hasn't released a statement regarding Rannazzisi's admission, Buffalo Wild Wings wasted no time issuing their own shortly after news of Rannazzisi's decade-strong lies slowly permeated the internet. Rannazzisi was recently made the face of Buffalo Wild Wings' NFL ad campaign, though the continuation of that campaign is currently up for debate. "We are disappointed to learn of Steve’s misrepresentations regarding the events of September 11, 2001,” a Buffalo Wild Wings representative tells the New York Times. “We are currently re-evaluating our relationship with Steve pending a review of all the facts.”

Comedian Pete Davidson, whose father died inside the Twin Towers, poked fun at Rannazzisi​ with the following tweet: