Over the past 17 years, the Cincinnati Bengals have had players on their team commit 9 assaults, get 9 DUIs, and have 6 domestic violence cases. And for the most part, those players get to stay on the team.
Basically, this is a franchise that rarely takes a stand on questionable behavior. That all changed this week when free agent safety Eric Reid came in for a visit and the Bengals decided to finally take a stand on a topic.
According to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk, Bengals owner Mike Brown had a conversation with Reid that centered “almost exclusively” on anthem protests, because he wanted to see how Reid would react to him implementing a National Anthem ban on protests for next season.
He basically wanted assurance from Reid before the team made their decision to sign him, but Reid chose not to divulge much on the issue because he was blindsided by the conversation.
More from Florio:
“Brown, according to the source, initiated discussion regarding the issue of kneeling during the anthem. The conversation almost exclusively centered on the topic, with Brown explaining that he intends to prohibit it — and with Brown at one point asking Reid for his response.
Reid, caught off guard by the line of questioning, wasn’t willing to make a commitment on the spot. Last month, Reid said he’s currently not planning to kneel or otherwise demonstrate during the anthem. But Reid, who is considering other options for bringing attention to societal issues he considers to be important, hasn’t made any final decisions, and he wasn’t willing to do so at the direct request and behest of Brown.”
Reid stated early on during free agency that he would not bring his Anthem protests to the 2018 season, but he was unwilling to confirm that with Mike Brown for whatever reason.
