The Cleveland Browns severely underwhelmed in 2019 and have been the laughing stock of the NFL for the past 20 years. Offensive lineman Greg Robinson was caught with 157 pounds of weed, Odell Beckham Jr. was nearly arrested for slapping a security's guard's butt this offseason and head coach Freddie Kitchens was canned after just one measly season.
Videos by FanBuzz
And who can forget Browns defensive end Myles Garrett's helmet-swinging fiasco with Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Mason Rudolph?
It turns out Cleveland Browns media members are just as embarrassing.
ESPN Reporter Calls Baker Mayfield "F***ing Midget"
Rizzo knew immediately that something was gonna happen to Grossi. Hammer says “i don’t think anyone heard” #Browns pic.twitter.com/FrjdAP7lTh
— Charles (@RefCharlesVan) February 25, 2020
#browns they just called baker a f*****g midget on espn cleveland when they thought the mics were off pic.twitter.com/iSh3scQRCt
— Liam (@leojokerhart) February 25, 2020
ESPN Cleveland's Tony Grossi was discussing NFL quarterbacks on air with host Tony Rizzo at the NFL Combine in Indianapolis' Lucas Oil Stadium on Tuesday when he was caught calling Cleveland Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield a "f***ing midget."
The audio from a hot microphone caught Grossi talking about different quarterbacks the Browns have missed out on, including Carson Wentz, Deshaun Watson, Super Bowl MVP Patrick Mahomes and now former LSU and soon-to-be Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow.
"And who do we got?," Gross said unknowingly on hot mics. "A f***ing midget."
The video of the Cleveland reporter's ridiculous comment circulated on Twitter on Tuesday. Some Browns fans called for an apology for the offensive comment while others took the opportunity to blast Grossi.
Tony Grossi calling Baker Mayfield a midget is ridiculously unprofessional and comical. Grossi is 5’7”. Baker is 6’1”. Tony, please do Cleveland a favor and resign immediately. pic.twitter.com/YXQEquoFYV
— Cleveland Sports Fans (@CLE_SPORTS_FANS) February 25, 2020
ESPN Cleveland issued a statement regarding the derogatory slur:
— ESPN Cleveland (@ESPNCleveland) February 25, 2020
And Grossi has tweeted his own apology since:
— Tony Grossi (@TonyGrossi) February 25, 2020
ESPN Reporter's Past Comments
At #Browns press conference and a guy named Tony Grossi just asked a really dumb question that not even I, a toaster, would ask.
I’ll make sure to ask more questions next time, @bakermayfield. pic.twitter.com/BnUXeOucVG
— Browns Beat Toaster (@BrownsToaster) October 30, 2019
This isn't the first time Grossi has made headlines for his words. He's compared Mayfield to former Browns first-round pick Johnny Manziel, beefed with Mayfield over the "dumbest question" in a press conference and even called the NFL team owner Randy Lerner a "pathetic figure" and the "most irrelevant billionaire in the world."
Maybe it's time to cover a different team, Grossi.
Mayfield's team bio lists him at 6-foot-1, which isn't all that small considering Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson is 5-foot-11 and New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees stands 6-feet tall.
The former Oklahoma walk-on and Heisman Trophy winner didn't let his small-ish stature stop him from leading the Sooners to the College Football Playoff and becoming the first overall pick in the NFL Draft.
He threw for more than 12,000 passing yards, 119 touchdowns and 21 interceptions in three years for the Sooners, including a legendary NCAA shootout against former Texas Tech and current Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes.
In 2019, Mayfield threw for 22 touchdowns and 21 interceptions after a solid 2018 campaign. Still, I highly doubt his height is a factor and he doesn't deserved to be slurred the way he was.
