Ben Johnson and Aditi Kinkhabwala (Photo via CBS Sports)
CBS reporter Aditi Kinkhabwala has addressed the tense interview with Chicago Bears head coach Ben Johnson, which went viral on Sunday afternoon.

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The Bears trailed the Las Vegas Raiders 14-9 at halftime, mustering just three field goals against one of the league’s worst defenses. When Aditi Kinkhabwala questioned him on the offense’s struggles, Ben Johnson was rather sassy and tense with his responses.

Specifically, Johnson wasn’t pleased when she asked the rookie head coach if they had to change what they were doing.

“I don’t know, you think so?” Johnson asked. “We’re going to be just fine.”

During an appearance on the “Mully and Haugh Show” in Chicago (via Jenna Lemoncelli of the New York Post), Kinkhabwala admitted it wasn’t an “ideal position” to be in, but she decided to take the high road and said she should have been more specific in her questions to Johnson:

“It’s not the most ideal position to be put in, regardless, but you know I’ve talked to [former Patriots coach] Bill Belichick at halftime — so I’d like to think after all these decades of doing this job, I’m not going to be intimidated.

I wish I’d been a little bit more specific on that follow-up. Instead of saying, ‘You need to change something.’ What I was trying to get at was, ‘Is it just simply about being cleaner, or is it that you need to make a very specific adjustment?’ For me, it was the run game, but I don’t want ot put any words in somebody’s mouth.

“I could have been more artful. But you know what, I’m thinking about today, I’m thinking about [Raiders quarterback] Geno Smith saying to me on Friday how his offensive line was so beleaguered, and he said, ‘You know what, I’d like some of those people to stand up and try to block.’”

Kinkhabwala added that Johnson “was so great in our production meeting” and noted he was playing “a tight game.” So it appears that no ill will is held towards Johnson, whose Bears rebounded in the second half to squeak out a close 25-24 victory.

Ben Johnson Was “Disappointed With What That Looks Like”

Ben Johnson (Credit: Denny Medley-Imagn Images)
After the game, Johnson was asked about the exchange with Kinkhabwala. The Bears head coach said he didn’t initially “think too much of it”, but was “disappointed” after looking back on it, per Lemoncelli.

Johnson said he struggled to hear Kinkhabwala during the interview, but it was no excuse, and that she’ll “do a better job” taking questions in the future.

As Kinkhabwala wisely pointed out, she’s had her fair share of interviews with the legendary Bill Belichick, who may go down as the most grumpy and monotone interview subject in league history.

Johnson and Kinkhabwala have both acknowledged the matter professionally without pointing the finger at the other. It’s part of the business, and a lesson for a rookie head coach who’s still getting used to the spotlight as the man in charge.