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Cincinnati Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis flippantly called new Browns starting quarterback Johnny Manziel a “midget” in a radio interview a few days back, and Fox 8 responded in a fantastic way today at the coach’s press conference, a few days ahead of the all-Ohio matchup in Cleveland.

Lewis has since apologized for calling the 5’11 Manziel a midget, but the station sent John Rinaldi, himself a little person, to ask him a few questions. Rinaldi calls Lewis out without explicitly calling him out, instead highlighting the silliness of his comment that Manziel’s height — instead of his other attributes — is what sets him apart from Hoyer.

Here’s what Rinaldi asks:

“John Rinaldi from Fox 8 in Cleveland, Ohio. Coach, based on the height difference of Hoyer and Manziel, how has your defensive approach changed for Sunday’s game?”

Lewis gives a regular coach-speak answer as if Rinaldi wasn’t obviously referencing his “midget” comment. Rinaldi prods further:

“Hey coach, Hoyer likes to stand tall and throw from the pocket and Manziel tends to move around, what challenges does that present to your defense?”

Watch the video below and click over to the Fox 8 website for their story.

Here’s what Lewis had said on Monday; the comment that started it all:

This article appears in Dec 10-16, 2014.

Doug Brown is a staff writer at Scene with a passion for public records laws and investigative reporting. A native of Ann Arbor, Mich., he has an M.A. in journalism from the Kent State University School of Journalism and Mass Communication and a B.A. in political science from Hiram College. Prior to joining Scene, Doug was a contributing writer for Deadspin.com, reporting behind-the-scenes stories about college sports through public records and developing sources. Doug's work as an enterprise reporter for the Daily Kent Stater was recognized by the Cleveland Press Club (2013 Ohio Excellence in Journalism Awards), Society of Professional Journalists (regional and national Mark of Excellence Awards), and the Associated Collegiate Press. He spent the summer of 2012 working for the Metro desk of the Cleveland Plain Dealer and spent previous summers working for Outside Bozeman Magazine and Crain's Detroit Business. His website is dougbrown8.com.

3 replies on “Watch Fox 8’s “Lil’ John” Rinaldi Confront Cinci’s Coach”

  2. Awesome. Though I do have to hand it to Marvin Lewis for his reaction. Definitely did the right thing by moving on from this, so props. Way to go Lil John!

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