Dan Dakich apologizes after posting photo of Iowa State superfan who died Thursday

INDIANAPOLIS -- The Iowa State fan base was outraged Friday after 107.5 The Fan sports radio host Dan Dakich posted a photo of Iowa State football superfan Nick Bassett, who had died Thursday night.

Dakich's Twitter handle was trending Friday after the Twitter exchange garnered thousands of responses and many more calling for Dakich's firing by Emmis Communications, the company that employs him.

"@EmmisComm one of your most visible people is out here using the picture of a recently-passed, disabled human, who was an inspiration to many, to shame and troll someone," tweeted @IowaRallyYak. "You do you, but employing this kind of person is highly questionable."

IndyStar reached out to Dakich's program director at Emmis, David Wood, Friday night. He did not immediately respond.

He did respond to an Iowa State fan in an email posted to Twitter.

"Here is (what) Dan tweeted a short time ago," Wood wrote. "I haven't spoken with him, but I can tell you that Dan doesn't apologize unprompted if he doesn't mean it. I will be following up with him. Thanks for letting me know."

Dakich posted the photo of Bassett in a Twitter reply to Iowa fan Andrew Korver. It came after an exchange about what Iowa fans look like. Korver had made Bassett's photo his profile picture after Bassett's death. Dakich took a screenshot of the photo and sent it as a reply to Korver.

Many watching the exchange assumed Dakich was making fun of the way Bassett looked.

"And today Dan Dakich uses a photo of an Iowa State superfan & amputee, Nick Bassett, who recently passed away to mock someone's appearance," tweeted Zach Borg, an anchor, reporter @DakotaSportsNow. "What's worse than the initial acts of all 3 is a double down to not apologize. A strong person isn't someone who can't admit their faults"

Dakich sent a tweet apologizing for the way the tweet was interpreted.

"I apologize for the "look" of posting Nick Bassett's picture without context..the context was/is to remind me to talk about his story on my show today when discussing the Iowa Purdue game. I know the story and had planned on talking about it at Noon..I missed it and was reminded."

Twitter responded in force, alleging Dakich's response did not make sense.

Bassett was a popular and inspiring Iowa State fan, wrote Tommy Birch with the Des Moines State Register, after his death Thursday at the age of 29. Bassett had struggled with various health issues since he was 2.

Bassett gained fame this past season when he appeared on ESPN’s “College GameDay” when it visited Ames before the Cy-Hawk football game.

When Bassett had both his legs amputated in May due to health complications from scoliosis, Iowa State fans rallied around him. So did Cyclones coach Matt Campbell, who befriended Bassett and invited him to several practices.  

Bassett's mother, Ann Bassett, told Birch after her son's death that she still can’t wrap her head around how Iowa State fans have responded during her family's tough times.

“We’re kind of speechless about the whole thing,” she said.

Follow IndyStar sports reporter Dana Benbow on Twitter: @DanaBenbow. Reach her via email: dbenbow@indystar.com.