Cleveland Browns: On the Joe Thomas, Tony Rizzo, Dan LeBatard media wars

Cleveland Browns: Joe Thomas made an appearance on ESPN’s Dan LeBatard Show, and that angered WKNR’s Tony Rizzo.

Winning football doesn’t exist when the Cleveland Browns stink, so everything an anything else gets magnified in the press. Winning gets clicks, but so does controversy and name calling.

And that’s the current state of Browns news. As a new GM scouts players at the Senior Bowl, it’s almost as if Cleveland fans were happy to take a break from a draft they’ve been looking forward to since September for an all-out media fight between longtime local broadcaster Tony Rizzo, of WKNR, and Browns’ left tackle Joe Thomas.

Thomas is making the media rounds to promote his highly thought of “ThomaHawk” podcast, which co-stars former Browns wideout Andrew Hawkins.

Tuesday saw Thomas stop by The Dan LeBatard show, which is nationally broadcast on ESPN radio.

LeBatard tried to get Thomas fired up for his appearance, playing a sound clip in which Rizzo trashes Thomas. Early in Rizzo’s show, titled, The Really Big Show, Rizzo made comments on Thomas putting his media career on hold, so that he could give the Browns some indication of where he’ll play next season.

Then toward the end of his program, Rizzo got word that LeBatard was using him as fodder to rile Thomas.

LeBatard introduced Rizzo by referring to him as “This gasbag in your radio market.” Several different laughs could be heard in the background.

And then LeBatard played this clip.

"“Does Joe Thomas understand when he’s done playing for the Browns, nobody is going to give a crap about him? These players don’t understand it, folks. They wall want to be your best friend when they’re done playing. When they’re playing, they can’t cal you, they can’t come in, they can’t do anything, when they’re down, ‘Oh check out my ThomaHawk podcast.’ You know what I’ll remember Joe Thomas for? Losing.”"

Rizzo continued:

"“He’s coming to mow world baby. I’m a made man in this town, in this this media. You’re coming to my world. You’ve got to earn your way in my world. You just don’t get a free pass because you played tackle for the Browns.”"

“You know he’s one of my biggest podcast fans of the ThomaHawk show, so I really appreciate him listening. He’s a loyal follower and he definitely likes to discuss topics from the show on his show.”

Thomas, relied good naturally, as you’d expect him to.

“I’ve got to say thanks for Tony for being such a fan,” he said.

Rizzo’s diatribe continued, with the radio host calling into question how serious Thomas is about playing football next season.

"“It’s so apparent Joe is retiring. He’s doing every show in the world and I don’t think he’ll be putting on 75 pounds to play tackle in the fall. Maybe he does, I don’t know. But he is coming into the media now. Sure he’ll get the Tony Romo treatment, because he was really good and he’ll go to the Hall of Fame. But at the end of the day, he’ll be judged on whether he was good on the air or not.”"

When co-host Aaron Goldhammer asked the longtime broadcast veteran for his evaluation of Thomas, Rizzo said, “I haven’t heard him,” and then went after LeBatard.

"“I don’t listen to Dan LeBatard, I don’t do the Tomahawk. I’m too busy trying to do my own little show, my ‘gas bag show,’ nice reference there Dan, way to keep it classy. What a professional you are! He called me a gas bag. I’ve heard your show a few times to, you’re not exactly an eloquent speaker. Give me a break. Gas bag.”"

Before the show ended Goldhamer interjected that he thought Riz was unfair to Joe in regards to the comment that no one “will give a crap” about him. He also mentioned some feud between Rizzo and Thomas’ agent, which dates back years.

“Somehow, my show will go on without Joe Thomas coming on.”

There are so many things to analyze here.

1. This is newsworthy because Thomas is regarded as an all-around great guy. Nobody goes after him. He’s been the lone player worth remembering through all the losing Browns’ fans have suffered through.

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2. With that said, Rizzo raises a fair point about Thomas looking rather. I thought the same thing when I saw him at the Greater Cleveland Sports Awards. If he’s going to play football this fall, he’s got a lot of weight to put back on.

3. That’s not hard to do because teams employ nutritionalists and trainers and Joe’s been doing this long enough–he knows what he needs to do to get into football shape.

4. Rizzo does go off the rails. If he wants to criticize Thomas for not giving the Browns an answer about his future, fine, but to criticize him for making it in the media?

It’s bizarre.

So Thomas is supposed to start his broadcast career in Zanesville because he embarked on a Pro Football Hall of Fame career first?

It makes no sense, and going after the tackle for having success off the field makes Rizzo look jealous.

5. Some guys just have all the luck, like the aforementioned Tony Romo. Blessed with great athletic ability, guys like Romo and Thomas put in the work and became great NFL players.

But to hate on Thomas for having a unique voice? It’s weird, Rizzo. Thomas has been a breath of fresh air. At times, the levity he brings to the airwaves over what’s been a dumpster fire on the field is refreshing.

And his takes are top notch. Who wouldn’t want to know what’s really going inside the walls of the locker room?

But these are the types of stories Browns fans are fed when they’re team has won one game in the last two years.

Next: Dark horse QB Mike White now on the Browns radar

Winning cures all and makes everyone’s job easy when the good times are rollin’. The time for the Browns to go .500 can’t get here soon enough!