NFL coach under fire for ‘aggressive’ gesture towards reporter in uncomfortable interview
Jen Thomas
Featured Image Credit: CBS
Fans have hit back at an NFL coach after his 'aggressive' and 'intimidating' response to a reporter.
Pressure can easily build during a game, especially when on the losing side, but fans have criticised Chicago Bears head coach Ben Johnson for his response.
The NFL coach was being interviewed on the sidelines by CBS reporter Aditi Kinkhabwala when the awkward exchange took place.
It comes as the NFL has been clamping down and fining players for bad behaviour or gestures.
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The Bears were facing a 14-9 defeat against the Las Vegas Raiders when Kinkhabwala gave him a grilling shortly after the half time interval.
A reporter's job on the sidelines is to ask the tough questions, but needless to say it seems Johnson wasn't happy with where the conversation was going, and wasn't in the best mood.
Kinkhabwala began by saying 'your offense has struggled', however, before she could ask the rest of her question, Johnson interrupted and said: "They haven't done anything, you're right."
The reporter answered: "So, what did you tell them to get things going?"
Coach Johnson replied: "That wasn't our brand of football, we're capable of a lot more and so we're hitting the reset button here at half time and we're going to come back and establish our identity here in the second half."
Kinkhabwala followed up with: "Do you need to change what you're doing?"
That's when it all went decidedly frosty, with Johnson giving Kinkhabwala a hard stare for a few moments before replying: "I don't know. You think so? We're going to be just fine."
Fans were left feeling uncomfortable over the 'aggresive' gesture during the exchange, calling Johnson's behaviour 'immature'.
"Absolutely immature by him. Aditi deserves better," wrote one, while another added: "He was completely out of line for that."
"That Ben Johnson interview didn’t sit right with me," said another critic.
A fellow journalist defended Kinkhabwala: "I don’t like this one bit from Ben Johnson with the reporter Aditi."
However, one fan of Johnson's insisted it was just a mistake and a case of crossed wires: "She asked, 'Do you need to change what you’re doing?' But her mic cut out the ‘do’ and her tone made it sound like a statement rather than a question."
They added: "Like most of us, all Ben heard was, 'You need to change what you’re doing.' Plenty will be made of that exchange.."
Someone else insisted: "I've never seen a HC who doesn't appreciate advice from the sideline reporter."
Another didn't like her line of questioning: "That was snotty and uncalled for - good for Ben pushing back. Like a lot of the negative commentary from the booth throughout the game. Be better than that, CBS Sports."
One fan said he should aim his frustration at the players, not a reporter: "He should be salty with his defense and their inability to stop the run"
The CBS announcers also made reference to the awkward moment, referring to a 'menacing stare' from Johnson, calling him 'a little intimidating' towards Kinkhabwala.
The team managed to turn things around after the exchange, so it seems Kinkhabwala was right, as the Bears claimed victory over the Raiders with a 25-24 win.