Sarah Jones: Latest Incident Another Black Eye for Cincinnati Bengals' Image

There's no question the Cincinnati Bengals have developed a reputation for having a roster with its fair share of the off-the-field incidents.

But just as it seemed the culture was changing in Cincinnati and a new era was upon the team, a cheerleader, of all people, was caught up in a sex scandal that will unfortunately wrap the Bengals in a controversy they could never have anticipated.

Sarah Jones, the aforementioned cheerleader (and the squad's captain, to boot!), was also an English teacher who stands accused of sleeping with one of her male students.

She resigned from her teaching position in November and pleaded not guilty on Monday to charges of first-degree sexual abuse and unlawful use of electronic means to induce a minor to engage in sexual or other prohibited activities.

This sort of scandal isn't tied to the Bengals to the degree it would be if it involved a player, coach or member of the front office, but the organization still can't be pleased to have its name attached to the scandal.

It's possible that Jones will be found innocent and all of this will be moot, of course. But for now, I think it's fairly safe to say the Bengals aren't pleased with this latest mark on an already less-than-stellar reputation.

They can't seem to win, even in situations that have little to do with the organization itself.

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