Marvin Lewis to Chad Johnson: Get Off the Pot; Retire or Play For Us

A report on www.profootballtalk.com prompted me to take a look at the Cincinnati Bengals Web site.  The headline spoke of Marvin Lewis finally addressing the situation with Chad “Ocho Stinko” Johnson and the rest of his team. 

However, the notes from that presser were a bit more biting over at www.bengals.com when seen as a whole.

Simply put, Marvin finally came out and admitted that the team has been struggling with CJ and his desire to not be in Cincinnati and his attitude problem for over a year now.  However, the most damning and most telling statement came out loud and clear and was music to my ears.

“He has a contract through 2011. If he plays NFL football it will be in Cincinnati, or he has to do what he says and that’s retire. That would be a shame. We’ll do everything we can to help him out of this and try to restore his image.

“Unfortunately Chad put himself in that situation. A lot of people who really had an affection for him fan-wise and people around the league see him in a different light and that’s unfortunate.

"Some of the things he’s gone on record and said one way or the other he’s going to have to deal with them one way or the other. . . . He’s said he’s probably going to sit out. I think you’ve got to own up and do it.

"Hopefully he’ll do what Kobe Bryant did this year. He had a very accomplished season (after his trade demands). The Cincinnati Bengals hold the cards through the 2011 season.”

Right on, coach.  Finally stated in full and rightly so.

In particular, he also addressed how the aggrevation of no. 85 has played on his team and what he now expects out of them in light or dark when and if this thing explodes like many think it will.

“The rest of the team has to grow up and understand that whether it’s your first-round pick, whether it’s the guy in the last year of his contract and feels like he needs a new contract in order to play, sometimes these things happen and every guy judges it differently,” Lewis said.

“They’ve got to be professionals and be prepared and I’ve told them not to worry about all this other stuff.

“They’ve had to deal with it already with the perception that’s been there with that. It can’t continue to be an issue with you. Let it go. It is where it is. Right now it’s not there, so don’t worry about it. Let’s move forward.”

I like it.  He’s basically said in public and put it on the record that Ocho Stinko either needs to go ahead and take a shit or get off the pot, because if he’s going to play in the NFL, it’s going to be with Cincinnati.  Again, Amen.

While it won’t make sense for the Bengals to go ahead and pay Chad Johnson to be a dick until 2011, it sets a tone at the very least for this season.  And with it, clears the air for now on his behalf.  The team can part company with Ocho after this next season, preferably to a team in the NFC that the Bengals won’t see for a while.

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