Cleveland Browns: Baker Mayfield should take high road with Tony Grossi suspension

Tony Grossi has had a bad reputation among Cleveland Browns fans for years and now finds himself suspended for derogatory comments made about Baker Mayfield. However, Mayfield would be best served ignoring Grossi and moving on.

After an ill-timed and inappropriate remark made about Cleveland Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield, long-time Browns beat reporter Tony Grossi has been given an immediate and indefinite suspension by his current employer Good Karma Brands.

Tony Grossi has long expressed a preference for tall, big-armed quarterbacks to handle the harsh late-season weather of the AFC North.

Mr. Grossi has also had a not-so-hidden disdain for the Cleveland Browns decision to draft Baker Mayfield. And, over the past couple of seasons, it’s becoming clear that Mr. Grossi may also not be too fond of Mayfield himself.

Those sentiments collided at the NFL Scouting Combine. As Mr. Grossi was concluding a live segment on ESPN Cleveland, he made an inappropriate remark about Mayfield that was picked up by a nearby hot (live) microphone.

The remark, which was made in context of Mayfield’s height in relation to other quarterbacks that the Browns have passed on, included a slur directed at Little People. ESPN Cleveland and Good Karma Brands made a swift decision to suspend Mr. Grossi. Here is the statement from ESPN Cleveland.

This is not the first time, Mr. Grossi has found himself in hot water over an ill-timed comment. His employment at the Cleveland Plain Dealer ended shortly after he sent a tweet that he intended to be a Direct Message.

In that 2012 tweet, Mr. Grossi referred to then Cleveland Browns owner Randy Lerner as “…a pathetic figure, the most irrelevant billionaire in the world.”

Mr. Grossi, at first, was reassigned not fired. But he soon moved on to ESPN Cleveland. In the last year, his columns have appeared on The Land on Demand, a paywall linked to ESPN Cleveland.

As of this writing, Baker Mayfield has had no response. Given recent headlines involving Mayfield this is probably one slight that he should let pass him by.