Bengals coach Marvin Lewis added some spice to the Cincinnati-Cleveland rivalry this week when he referred to Johnny Manziel as a midget.
Appearing on WLW-AM radio in Cincinnati, Lewis downplayed the Browns' impending shift from Brian Hoyer to Manziel as starting quarterback.
"You gotta go defend the offense," Lewis said. "You don’t defend the player. Particularly a midget."
After the show, Lewis said he was sorry.
"I apologize to Johnny, the Browns and all the fans in Cleveland," Lewis said. "It was just a poor remark. I really didn't mean anything by it."
One amusing side note was the advertisement found on ESPN.com's coverage of Lewis' comments. A seasonal spot for Dick's Sporting Goods features a rather buff Santa and a midget little person dressed an elf:
Similar to the case where a spelling bee winner's name was spelled wrong in a news headline, we're not here to snicker. Dubious ad placement can happen to any outlet, including The New York Times.
