Tony Grossi's original firing in 1990-91?

[FM 100 Means Music]

Not sure where else to ask this:

Several times on his podcast, Grossi mentioned conducting a "candid" interview with Bud Carson that got him fired from the Plain Dealer for over a year.

Could anyone working in Cleveland media at the time explain the circumstances?

 

[vjm]

I do know in the last couple of years of the Bill Belichick era, Grossi was removed from the beat (he was too critical, and Art Modell used his clout) and this is where Mary Kay Cabot got her start as beat reporter.

 

[CleveRadioInsider]

The whole Grossi firing is a big joke. As are the sports talk hosts that are saying it is justified. The Plain Dealer encouraged Grossi to give his opinions and then he gives an opinion he does not like "they reassign him".

 

[former interm]

I do know in the last couple of years of the Bill Belichick era, Grossi was removed from the beat (he was too critical, and Art Modell used his clout) and this is where Mary Kay Cabot got her start as beat reporter.

Grossi reported that Bud Carson would be fired and would be replaced by Jim Shofner. Modell went nuts at Grossi and the PD and said no such thing was ever discussed. Grossi was removed from the beat and two weeks later Carson was fired and replaced by Shofner.

 

[FM 100 Means Music]

The whole Grossi firing is a big joke. As are the sports talk hosts that are saying it is justified. The Plain Dealer encouraged Grossi to give his opinions and then he gives an opinion he does not like "they reassign him".

I really have to disagree. While the circumstances behind Grossi’s “reassignment” were unfortunate, at the same time we can all agree that Grossi had become so negative and cynical, and so interested in pushing his own agenda (converting Cribbs to a fulltime running back, going for a “quick fix” rebuilding job using free agents instead of toughing it out for 3-5 years to build a long-lasting team through the draft even though the Shaun Rogers/Corey Williams experiment shows what a bad idea that is) instead of giving the Holmgren regime several years to establish themselves, that he needed to go.

Grossi (and that guy from the Akron Beacon-Journal who quit and went to Yahoo Sports) were really responsible for contributing to the continuing negative attitudes of a lot of Cleveland sports fans. Mary Kay Cabot is at least more even handed and willing to give people a chance instead of immediately throwing up her hands and saying “this isn’t working, let’s start over again” like Grossi is.

I don’t know what Grossi does now. Financially, the PD really can’t afford to keep him on as a salaried employee if he’s just going to be a “general NFL” reporter. Maybe they switch him to the Ohio State Buckeyes, or maybe they don’t renew his contract and he tries to catch on with the Elyria Chronicle or Canton Repository or something. (ABJ is out of the question given all the cost-cutting they’re doing)

I hope he isn’t’ the only one to go. I’d really like to see Bill Lubinger, Bud Shaw, and Dennis Manoloff follow him out the door. The PD’s sports section is too crowded and in desperate need of some pairing off.

 

[CleveRadioInsider]

Does Manoloff even write columns anymore? He seems to show up on radio shows and does that SBTV but other than that I never see anything by him in the paper.

 

[vjm]

Does Manoloff even write columns anymore? He seems to show up on radio shows and does that SBTV but other than that I never see anything by him in the paper.

D-Man is the beat guy for the Monsters and the Gladiators, and is Hoynsie's backup for the Indians.