ESPN Cleveland suspends Tony Grossi for calling Baker Mayfield a 'f—ing midget'

Jordan Heck

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ESPN Cleveland suspends Tony Grossi for calling Baker Mayfield a 'f—ing midget' image

ESPN Cleveland announced Tuesday it has suspended Tony Grossi following comments he made on a hot mic about Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield.

Grossi, a well-known reporter in Cleveland, was talking with Tony Rizzo about NFL quarterbacks and apparently didn't know his microphone was live. The audio is low, so it's difficult to understand what the full context of the discussion was, but one can clearly hear Grossi use the derogatory term "midget" when referring to Mayfield.

Rizzo could be heard saying, "Wentz, Watson, Mahomes and now Burrow." Grossi responds: "And who do we got? A f—ing midget."

A louder version of the audio can be heard below.

ESPN Cleveland released the following statement on the incident:

"We are aware of Tony Grossi's statement about Baker Mayfield. The term Tony uded is a derogatory slur to describe Little People. Good Karma Brands will not tolerate derogatory language that demeans others or groups of people. We are addressing this matter with Tony directly, and while we normally do not comment on personnel matters, we do want to share that we have made the decision to immediately and indefinitely suspend Tony Grossi. In addition, we will pursue sensitivity and inclusion training for everyone on our content teams across our company. From Good Karma Grands, to our fans, our partners, the Browns and Baker Mayfield - we are sorry."

About an hour later, Grossi issued a statement of his own, apologizing for the remark.

"I am truly sorry for my language and choice of words in a remark I made about Baker Mayfield that was captured on our live feed on TheLandOnDemand. I sincerely apologize for using a word that is a derogatory slur. There's no excuse for using that language in any context. It was said without malice, but also without thought. It is well known that Baker and I have had our differences, and in the course of this experience, I've had to question my role in the erosion of the relationship. I have always endeavored to report and comment on him and the team fairly, and am shaken by these events. I will strive to be a better person and professional. I apologize to little people, Good Karma Brands, the Cleveland Browns, Baker Mayfield, to our listeners and to anyone who was offended by my remark."

The radio station apparently wasted no time contacting Grossi after the comments were made.

Grossi, a unique personality, is a controversial figure in Cleveland. He and Mayfield got into it in late October when Grossi asked about a failed drive the Browns had against the Patriots. Mayfield called it "the dumbest question you could ask." The QB eventually walked away from the media saying, "Jesus, Tony."

Grossi's suspension is indefinite.

Jordan Heck

Jordan Heck Photo

Jordan Heck is a Social Media Producer at Sporting News. Before working here, he was a Digital Content Producer at The Indianapolis Star. He graduated with a degree from Indiana University.