Jerome Simpson: Cincinnati Bengals Must Bench WR for Sunday's Game vs. 49ers

Days after more than eight pounds of marijuana was confiscated from his residence, Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Jerome Simpson's playing status is unknown, according to Joe Reedy of the Cincinnati Enquirer. It's a murky situation and the Bengals should consider no option other than benching him against the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday.

Simpson has emerged as a viable target in the Bengals passing attack, picking up 180 yards through two weeks. His four-catch, 136-yard performance in Week 2 further illustrated the talent fans in Cincinnati first seen at the end of last season.

It took the former second-round pick nearly three years to live up to the hype, but he finished last season with consecutive 100-yard games.

When asked about his status for the team's third game, head coach Marvin Lewis was noncommittal.

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“We’re still taking to people and figuring out what the best thing is for Jerome,” Lewis said. “Any decisions I make on it are going to be based on what people recommend is the best thing for him.”

Lewis did say that he has talked to Simpson the past couple days and that “he’s as anyone would be caught in a situation like that. We have to continue to support him and help him that way.”

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As politically correct as Lewis' answer was, it wasn't the correct one. He should have come out immediately after the incident and told the media that Simpson wouldn't be suiting up for the Bengals until the matter was resolved.

This isn't a case of a player being in a car where a small amount of pot was found, or being at a party where the drug (whether it should be legal or not is a completely different debate) was used. He had a large amount of it in his home with more being delivered.

To his credit, Lewis said Simpson has become involved in many community events since being drafted and has cooperated with authorities.

Although he won't admit it, it may be better for Simpson that the situation was discovered now. Based on an earlier report from the Cincinnati Enquirer, the house was likely being setup to be a distribution hub for the drug.

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“The house was set up as a potential distribution network,” Tommy LaNier, head of the National Marijuana Initiative, told CaliforniaWatch. The NMI is funded by the Office of National Drug Control Policy and helps coordinate marijuana enforcement operations around the United States.

“They had it all set up to receive supplies of high-grade marijuana from Northern California, and from there, it was being distributed from that residence,” LaNier said.

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If LaNier's assessment is correct, the longer Simpson would have been involved, the deeper the hole he would have been digging himself into. For his sake, hopefully the situation is resolved in a timely matter and he can get back on the football field.

He wasn't arrested following the search, which bodes well moving forward, but the situation is far from resolved.

And until it is resolved, Simpson shouldn't be suiting up for the Bengals. Especially for a team with such a negative player conduct record as Cincinnati.