In 1968 Paul Brown paid $10 million to enter the AFL. Two years later, the Cincinnati Bengals were full fledged members of the NFL, and proved they belonged by capturing their first division championship in just their third year of existence.
Over the course of the next twenty plus years, the Cincinnati Bengals, though not the most dominant team in the league, had some modicum of success. They appeared in seven NFL postseason tournaments, winning two conference championships and providing us, as fans, two thrilling super bowl experiences in the 1980s.
Not only was the product on the field respectable, but the Cincinnati Bengals were a proud, honorable franchise with a proud, honorable owner. They carried themselves with honor, dignity, and professionalism. These values were instilled by the great Paul Brown. Then, sadly, Brown died.
Over the next twelve seasons, the Bengals were an embarrassment. They lost 137 games, losing ten or more nine times in twelve years. The high point came in 1996, an 8-8 record. If the honorable gentleman who founded the franchise had witnessed the bumblings of his beloved franchise throughout the nineties and into the early aughts, he surely would have been disappointed and embarrassed.
However, if Paul Brown were alive today, such disappointment and embarrassment would surely pale in comparison to dishonor he would feel at the horror, disgrace and utter travesty that is the Cincinnati Bengals in 2016.
This is an organization that is actively harboring vicious, violent criminals within their ranks. And they have been doing so for some time now. If Paul Brown were alive today, I do not believe that Adam Jones or Vontaze Burfict would be Bengals. Perhaps Carson Palmer would. Rey, get out while you can; you deserve better.
Marvin Lewis is obviously a keen football intellect. He has guided the Bengals to unprecedented regular season success. However, something is clearly missing. I am not intimately involved with the situation, but from what I can surmise, there must be a lack of maturity and a disregard for order and the rule of law. Clearly there is a lack of discipline and control. To have a single player wreak so much havoc not only for himself and his team, but for multiple franchises, and indeed, the entire league, speaks volumes about the Cincinnati Bengals ability to compete in a civilized and sportsmanlike manner.
The league needs to step in and do something about the Bengals penchant for harboring criminals. And they need to do something now: before someone gets killed.
