Cincinnati Bengals Should Feel Ashamed

The Cincinnati Bengals were finally moving on from Chris Henry. The off-field distractions this year were coming from Chad Johnson. Chad ran his mouth all offseason about how he needed to be traded, but Chad is no fool.

He showed up for training camp and knew that he would have to play to earn his money. Money is a very motivating factor, but I have never been able to grasp how NFL players can just throw it away. 

The Bengals have been pretty dinged up this preseason. Between Rudi Johnson's nagging hamstring injury and the shoulder injury Chad Johnson suffered this past weekend, the Bengals have not been the healthiest team in the league.

Because of this, the Bengals felt like they needed to add some depth to their roster, especially at wide receiver, and they had a few options available to them.

The Bengals could have promoted a backup to take over while injuries heal. They could have made a trade and possibly sacrificed a sixth or seventh-round pick to add depth at receiver.

But the Bengals chose neither option A nor B and instead are going down an all-too-familiar road. They have chosen to re-sign constantly-troubled wideout Chris Henry. 

The Cincinnati Bengals should be ashamed of themselves. When Marvin Lewis arrived in Cincy, the Bengals made some questionable draft picks. They have shown, year after year, that when drafting, they will overlook potential legal troubles for a player's talent. 

This time, when they had the chance to start turning things around and take the high road by not sacrificing character for talent, they reverted back to their old ways.

They are showing that they are the same Bengals now that they were from mid-2006 to early 2007, when the Bengals had nine players arrested in nine months. Those Bengals were not a playoff team then, and neither is this year's squad.

Chris Henry has already served two suspensions from the league in his first few years. Those were served because of unlawful transaction with a minor (three counts), speeding, operating a vehicle under the influence, felony possession of a concealed firearm, and possession of marijuana.

His first arrest was less than three years ago, in December of 2005. 

Now that the Bengals have brought Chris Henry back, he will have to serve a third suspension handed down from the commissioner's office for the first four games of the season. Does that really help the Bengals?

I don't think it does.

The Bengals took the easy way out and re-signed a receiver that was already familiar with the team and the playbook. I guess integrity isn't a word that the Bengals can find in the dictionary. It doesn't exist to them.

They have shown, time and time again, that talent is the only area they look at when fielding their team. The fans in Cincinnati deserve better. Our children deserve better. And the game of football deserves better.

Whether they consider themselves role models or not, NFL players are. What kind of message are we sending if someone with Chris Henry's past is given chance after chance? The Cincinnati Bengals have chosen to—once again—put their reputation, and the integrity of the game, on the line.

For that, they should be ashamed.