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Mike Brown (football team owner)
Encyclopedia
Michael "Mike" Brown is the owner of the Cincinnati Bengals
, an American football
team in the National Football League
. He is the son of former Cleveland Browns
, Ohio State University
and Cincinnati Bengals coach/co-founder, Paul Brown
.
Brown's ownership has been criticized for a lack of on-field success, his refusal to cede football operations to a general manager
and the team's relationship with Hamilton County
before and after a voter-approved tax increase to fund Paul Brown Stadium
.
in 1957, where he played quarterback
for their football team, and from Harvard Law School
in 1959. In an unusual meeting between future sports owners, eventual New York Yankees
owner George Steinbrenner
hired him to a summer job as a deck hand for Kinsman Marine Transit Company.
Brown eventually followed his father into football management. Paul Brown founded the Bengals, then an American Football League
team, in 1968. (This was several years after Paul Brown was dismissed as Cleveland Browns
head coach
in a well-publicized falling out with Art Modell
). Mike Brown began his executive duties with the Bengals as assistant general manager. Along with personnel decisions, he was a spokesperson for the team on issues of league rules and team policy.
after the 1991 season (although he originally claimed that Wyche resigned). Days later, Brown hired Dave Shula
to be head coach, making Shula (at the time) the second youngest NFL head coach in history and making Dave and Don Shula
the first father-son to lead different NFL teams in the same year. Going into 1993, Brown sought to negotiate a new lease with Cincinnati to keep the Bengals in the city.
and lack of luxury box
es prohibited the Bengals' success.
In 1995, he announced that Cincinnati had breached
its lease
agreement when it was late by one week in paying $167,000 in concession
receipt
s. He threatened to move the team to Baltimore
if Cincinnati or Hamilton County would not fund a new stadium
. The leverage
of this threat proved successful as Cincinnati’s City Council
and the Hamilton County Commissioners opted to fund the new Paul Brown Stadium
with a proposed county sales tax increase, which needed voter approval. In 1996, Hamilton County
voters passed a one-half percent sales tax
increase to fund the building of a new facility for the Bengals and a second new facility for the Major League Baseball
Cincinnati Reds
., the Bengals filed suit against the County for the right to manage it in 2000. County commissioners agreed to let a Bengals' subsidiary run the stadium and it opened later that year.
In 2007, Hamilton County Commissioner Todd Portune
(a former Cincinnati City Council member, though not Commissioner at the time the parties executed the lease), filed a lawsuit
in federal district court against the NFL, the Bengals and the other 31 NFL teams. Portune felt, among other things, that published revenues from 1995-1999 contradicted Brown's claims of financial distress. The Hamilton County Board of Commissioners eventually was substituted as the plaintiff in the case. Fans supporting Portune cite what they feel is the broken promise that the Bengals would "be more competitive" with a new stadium. The Bengals have had only two winning seasons out of 11 since the stadium opened.
Rick Eckstein, co-author of "Public Dollars, Private Stadiums," describes the Hamilton County arrangement as "the single most lopsided stadium deal since 1993" and questions Bob Bedinghaus' role with the team after having been County Commissioner when the deal was reached. A 2008 Forbes
survey suggests the team's rankings in direct revenues have dropped since the stadium's construction (placing the team 21st in total value at $941 million).
The Bengals have requested that the County extend the lease for the stadium for 20 years, while Portune maintains his criticisms of the original agreement.
The Bengals hold a number of distinctions for the time frame of Brown's ownership: It is the only team with three nine-game-or-more losing streaks. It also holds six of the twenty-five 0-6 starts (24%) and four of the thirteen 0-8 starts (31%) in that time. The Bengals have gone winless in October eight different times in twenty years under five different head coaches (Sam Wyche was originally hired by Paul Brown).
The most successful coach during Mike Brown's tenure is current coach Marvin Lewis
with a .465 winning percentage (60-69-1). The Bengals won the AFC North
Division in 2005 and 2009 (then losing to the division rival
Pittsburgh Steelers
and New York Jets
respectively).
In 2009 Yahoo sports ranked Mike Brown as the second worst owner in the NFL.
over the $300 million estate of Austin Knowlton. Brown testified that he received a general manager bonus every year since he took over the team in 1991. Due to the team's record under his ownership, Brown has been subject to criticism for his approach to the running the football side of the Bengals' organization.
, each considered exceptionally talented but possible disciplinary hazards during their college careers. The following year, they were among nine Bengals players arrested for various offenses. Brown cut several "problem players" in 2008 including Henry and Thurman, but re-signed Henry later that year. This came after five arrests of Henry and Brown's statement earlier in the year that Henry's "conduct could no longer be tolerated." One fan protested by purchasing an electronic billboard
along the Cincinnati interstate
reading "CHRIS HENRY AGAIN? ARE YOU SERIOUS?" Henry died during a domestic dispute on December 17, 2009. Commenting on his death, Brown defended his decision to re-sign Henry, noting that "We knew him in a different way than his public persona.". Posthumously, it was discovered that Chris Henry was suffering from a progressive degenerative brain disease known as Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy, or CTE. According to a West Virginia University research study, the CTE may have contributed to Chris Henry's troubled behavior and, ultimately, his death.
Later in 2008, the Bengals signed running back Cedric Benson
, whom the Chicago Bears
had waived, in part, due to his off-field activities. In 2009, the team added Larry Johnson to provide depth for the position after the Kansas City Chiefs
released him for "detrimental conduct." Johnson had also experienced recent legal difficulties. Benson was among 2009's leading NFL rushers, while Johnson saw limited action.
Brown has commented that the league's current attitude towards discipline is a change from a past "boys will be boys" attitude. Brown's father welcomed tailback Stanley Wilson
back to the Bengals in 1988 after two drug suspensions. Wilson relapse
d the night before Super Bowl XXIII
and his absence in short-yardage situations affected the Bengals' efforts in one of the closest Super Bowl
games in history.
, David Shula, lost fifty games faster than any NFL coach in history (69 games). Shula's successor, Bruce Coslet
, resigned with a 21-39 record in 2000; Brown had yet to fire him. Current head coach Marvin Lewis has two winning seasons out of eight in Cincinnati, two playoff appearances, and a 60-67-1 regular season record (0-2 playoff record). Nevertheless, Brown agreed to extend Lewis' contract shortly after its expiration at the end of the 2010 season.
Brown also values his family's connection with the franchise; evident in his choosing to name Paul Brown Stadium after his father rather than to sell corporate naming rights
for it. Daughter Katie Blackburn is the president of the team and her husband Troy is an executive VP with additional family members among the front office staff. From 1994-2000, the Bengals paid out over $50 million to the Brown family members of Bengals staff in salaries.
Former Bengals receiver Cris Collinsworth
argues Brown's loyalty played a role in decision to not persuade Boomer Esiason
out of retiring despite a productive 1997 season
. Esiason became a color analyst on ABC's
Monday Night Football
. Collinsworth suggested Brown "thought he was doing the right thing by Boomer" and did not want to cost him the MNF job. Collinsworth contrasted this attitude to other NFL owners, like the Dallas Cowboys'
Jerry Jones
, whom Collinsworth felt "would have flown Boomer down to the Bahamas on his personal jet, offered to kiss his ring
and signed him right there."
teams with a .540+ winning percentage since 1991 showed the winning teams employing five or more scouts whereas the Bengals employed only one. In his first press conference as Bengals head coach, Marvin Lewis
claimed Brown assured him of a retooled scouting staff.
Brown turned down then-Saints
coach Mike Ditka's
offer of nine draft picks for one in the 1999 NFL draft
against then-coach Coslet's advice. Coslet wanted as many draft picks as possible to help the Bengals' defense. Instead, Brown overruled Coslet and selected University of Oregon
quarterback Akili Smith
. Smith only played 22 games in his NFL career. Coslet later regretted that he "didn't insist hard enough" in trying to persuade Brown to accept the Saints' offer.
Before the 1992 Draft
, press reports stressed the Bengals' need for either a cornerback or defensive lineman. Brown himself had been quoted the day before the draft as stating "we would dearly love to get a top defensive lineman, they're at a premium, and it's less true of other positions." Instead, the Bengals selected Houston
quarterback David Klingler
. Then Bengals quarterback Boomer Esiason and strong-safety David Fulcher
both openly questioned the move the next day, arguing the team needed help on defense. Klingler became an eventual bust. Esiason has since revealed that he had actually demanded a trade at the end of the 1991 season, which may have influenced Brown to select Klingler (Esiason was traded to the New York Jets in 1993).
Brown placed a great deal of responsibility on Carson Palmer
, calling him the Bengals' "lead dog" and stating "as he goes, we go." Palmer holds a number of team records and three Pro Bowl
selections. The Bengals were 46-51 (.474) with Palmer as starter. Palmer threatened retirement
from football if the Bengals did not trade
him during the 2011 offseason. Brown insisted that he wouldn't "reward" Palmer's demands, arguing that Palmer made a commitment to the organization when he received a contract extension. Brown released Carson's younger brother, Jordan from the team on August 27, 2011. On October 18, 2011 the Bengals finally traded Carson Palmer to the Oakland Raiders
for a first round pick in the 2012 NFL Draft and a conditional second round pick for the 2013 NFL Draft if Oakland makes it to the AFC Championship game in 2011 or 2012.
In 2000, the Bengals instituted a "loyalty clause," which allows the Bengals to deny various bonuses to players depending on the remarks they make about the Bengals. The ability to enact such a clause appears justified under the collective bargaining agreement which states an NFL team can fine a player one week's salary and suspend him without pay for up to four weeks for any action the club considers detrimental to the team. Brown responded that the clause would only be enacted under extreme circumstances. He wrote an editorial for the Cincinnati Enquirer, citing team cohesion as his main motivation for the clause.
It is often dubbed the "Carl Pickens
Clause," stemming from the 2000 offseason. Brown renewed Bruce Coslet's contract despite his 21–36 Bengals record. Pickens responded, "I don't understand it. We're trying to win; we're trying to turn this thing around out there. And they bring (Coslet) back." Pickens finished his career with the Tennessee Titans
.
Over the years since the clause, Bengals players have commented on a negative atmosphere within the organization, notably Takeo Spikes
, Jeff Blake
and Jon Kitna
.
The most vocal critic of the Bengals since the clause was instituted was Corey Dillon
. In 2001, after becoming the sixth player in NFL history to rush for 1,000 yards or more in five consecutive seasons, he remarked "at the end of the season, what do I have to feel good about? Nothing at all. It's not cool." After a fifth losing season with the team in 2002, he remarked ""I'm tired of it, six years of this B.S. I ain't lying to you. I'm sick of this crap, period." Dillon demanded a trade at the end of the 2003 season after throwing most of his gear he worn during the last home game to the fans and won a Super Bowl with the New England Patriots
in the following season.
In 1994, agent Leigh Steinberg
described Brown as "in a lonely fight for economic rationality in the NFL" and "a Don Quixote-type figure pushing back the forces of salary madness."http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9500E6DB1131F930A15757C0A962958260 Over the years, Brown has proven reluctant to finish free agent signings or trades. Warren Sapp
(in 2004), Shaun Rogers (in 2008), and Johnathan Joseph
(in 2011) are notable recent examples.
Agent Drew Rosenhaus
described it as a "matter of hours" before the Bengals would sign Sapp, only a day before the Raiders signed him. Sapp accused the Bengals of "playing with the money" on the original deal they offered him, deferring more money to incentives rather than in guarantees. The Associated Press
reported a completed trade between Cincinnati and the Detroit Lions
on February 29, 2008 for Rogers. However, the trade fell through and the next day, it was confirmed that the Lions instead traded Rogers to the Cleveland Browns
. http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080229/SPORTS01/80229042/1048/SPORTS
Who Dey Revolution (WDR) has staged "Project Mayhem" since 2008 in an effort to persuade Brown to make changes to the Bengals. These steps ranged from calling the Bengals "JERK line" to report Brown's behavior as abusive to purchasing billboards displaying a request for a General Manager to merchandise and ticket donations/boycotts and letter-writing campaigns. The website's purchase and distribution of 1000 urinal cakes
at a Bengals' home game advertised Brown's lifetime regular season record of 98-186-1 to that point.
WDR publishes a comic strip
titled "The Lost Generation", presenting Mike Brown in a Charlie Brown
esque caricature, presumably to correlate Brown's track record to the famous cartoon character's history of hard luck and failure
.
Despite these protests, the Bengals have remained popular within Cincinnati. A November 21, 2010 game vs. the Buffalo Bills
marked the first time since November '03 that network affiliate
s and DirectTV were legally obliged to "black out"
the Bengals game within a 75-mile radius of Paul Brown Stadium for lack of ticket sales. The remaining home games against the New Orleans Saints
, Cleveland Browns
, and San Diego Chargers
were also blacked out. Prior to this, the team sold out 57 straight games, a club record.
in 2003, Marvin Lewis tearfully awarded the game ball to Brown and told his players "he has put up with so much for you guys." Former Bengals dismiss notions that Brown is unconcerned with winning. Boomer Esiason, now a CBS analyst
, refers to Brown as a "nice man" who is simply over his head running the team. In 1998 interviews, Cris Collinsworth and Bengals radio analyst Dave Lapham
also rejected notions that Brown did not care about winning. Collinsworth remarked "I don't think anybody could be suffering more over this than Mike is with the exception of the fans, players and taxpayers."
Cincinnati Bengals
The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional football team based in Cincinnati, Ohio. They are members of the AFC's North Division in the National Football League . The Bengals began play in 1968 as an expansion team in the American Football League , and joined the NFL in 1970 in the AFL-NFL...
, an American football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
team in the National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
. He is the son of former Cleveland Browns
Cleveland Browns
The Cleveland Browns are a professional football team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are currently members of the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
, Ohio State University
Ohio State University
The Ohio State University, commonly referred to as Ohio State, is a public research university located in Columbus, Ohio. It was originally founded in 1870 as a land-grant university and is currently the third largest university campus in the United States...
and Cincinnati Bengals coach/co-founder, Paul Brown
Paul Brown
Paul Eugene Brown was a coach in American football and a major figure in the development of the National Football League...
.
Brown's ownership has been criticized for a lack of on-field success, his refusal to cede football operations to a general manager
General Manager (American football)
In the National Football League, the general manager or GM of a team typically controls player transactions and bears the primary responsibility on behalf of the team during contract discussions with players....
and the team's relationship with Hamilton County
Hamilton County, Ohio
As of 2000, there were 845,303 people, 346,790 households, and 212,582 families residing in the county. The population density was 2,075 people per square mile . There were 373,393 housing units at an average density of 917 per square mile...
before and after a voter-approved tax increase to fund Paul Brown Stadium
Paul Brown Stadium
Paul Brown Stadium is an American sports stadium located in Cincinnati, Ohio. It is the home venue of the Cincinnati Bengals of the National Football League. It opened on August 19, 2000. The stadium was named after Bengals' founder Paul Brown. The stadium is located on approximately of land and...
.
Before Bengals ownership
He is one of two sons by Paul Brown (His brother, Pete, is currently the Senior Vice-President of Bengals' player personnel.) He graduated from Dartmouth CollegeDartmouth College
Dartmouth College is a private, Ivy League university in Hanover, New Hampshire, United States. The institution comprises a liberal arts college, Dartmouth Medical School, Thayer School of Engineering, and the Tuck School of Business, as well as 19 graduate programs in the arts and sciences...
in 1957, where he played quarterback
Quarterback
Quarterback is a position in American and Canadian football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive team and line up directly behind the offensive line...
for their football team, and from Harvard Law School
Harvard Law School
Harvard Law School is one of the professional graduate schools of Harvard University. Located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, it is the oldest continually-operating law school in the United States and is home to the largest academic law library in the world. The school is routinely ranked by the U.S...
in 1959. In an unusual meeting between future sports owners, eventual New York Yankees
New York Yankees
The New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the The Bronx, New York. They compete in Major League Baseball in the American League's East Division...
owner George Steinbrenner
George Steinbrenner
George Michael Steinbrenner III was an American businessman who was the principal owner and managing partner of Major League Baseball's New York Yankees. During Steinbrenner's 37-year ownership from 1973 to his death in July 2010, the longest in club history, the Yankees earned seven World Series...
hired him to a summer job as a deck hand for Kinsman Marine Transit Company.
Brown eventually followed his father into football management. Paul Brown founded the Bengals, then an American Football League
American Football League
The American Football League was a major American Professional Football league that operated from 1960 until 1969, when the established National Football League merged with it. The upstart AFL operated in direct competition with the more established NFL throughout its existence...
team, in 1968. (This was several years after Paul Brown was dismissed as Cleveland Browns
Cleveland Browns
The Cleveland Browns are a professional football team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are currently members of the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
head coach
Head coach
A head coach, senior coach or manager is a professional at training and developing athletes. They typically hold a more public profile and are paid more than other coaches...
in a well-publicized falling out with Art Modell
Art Modell
Arthur B. Modell is an American businessman, entrepreneur and former National Football League team owner. He owned the Cleveland Browns franchise from 1961–1995 and the Baltimore Ravens franchise from 1996–2004. Modell is the grandson of the late Morris Modell who founded the northeast...
). Mike Brown began his executive duties with the Bengals as assistant general manager. Along with personnel decisions, he was a spokesperson for the team on issues of league rules and team policy.
Taking over the team
He assumed ownership responsibilities upon his father's death in August 1991 and has remained in the ownership position since. His first significant move as owner was to fire popular coach Sam WycheSam Wyche
Samuel David "Sam" Wyche is a former American football player and head coach, who is best known as the head coach of the Cincinnati Bengals of the NFL...
after the 1991 season (although he originally claimed that Wyche resigned). Days later, Brown hired Dave Shula
Dave Shula
David Donald Shula is a former American football player and coach. The son of famed National Football League coach Don Shula and brother of Mike Shula, he now works with his father in the family's restaurant business, Shula's Steak Houses....
to be head coach, making Shula (at the time) the second youngest NFL head coach in history and making Dave and Don Shula
Don Shula
Donald Francis "Don" Shula is a former American football cornerback and coach.He is best known as coach of the Miami Dolphins, the team he led to two Super Bowl victories, and to the National Football League's only perfect season. Shula was named 1993 Sportsman of the Year by Sports Illustrated....
the first father-son to lead different NFL teams in the same year. Going into 1993, Brown sought to negotiate a new lease with Cincinnati to keep the Bengals in the city.
Threats to move and a new stadium deal
Initially, Brown rejected advances from other cities to discuss moving the team. By 1995, he felt Riverfront Stadium's small seating capacitySeating capacity
Seating capacity refers to the number of people who can be seated in a specific space, both in terms of the physical space available, and in terms of limitations set by law. Seating capacity can be used in the description of anything ranging from an automobile that seats two to a stadium that seats...
and lack of luxury box
Luxury box
A Luxury box is a special seating section located within stadiums, arenas and other sporting and entertainment venues. They are typically located in the midsection of a stadium grandstand, usually providing the best views of the event...
es prohibited the Bengals' success.
In 1995, he announced that Cincinnati had breached
Breach of contract
Breach of contract is a legal cause of action in which a binding agreement or bargained-for exchange is not honored by one or more of the parties to the contract by non-performance or interference with the other party's performance....
its lease
Lease
A lease is a contractual arrangement calling for the lessee to pay the lessor for use of an asset. A rental agreement is a lease in which the asset is tangible property...
agreement when it was late by one week in paying $167,000 in concession
Concession (contract)
A concession is a business operated under a contract or license associated with a degree of exclusivity in business within a certain geographical area. For example, sports arenas or public parks may have concession stands. Many department stores contain numerous concessions operated by other...
receipt
Receipt
A receipt is a written acknowledgment that a specified article or sum of money has been received as an exchange for goods or services. The receipt is evidence of purchase of the property or service obtained in the exchange.-Printed:...
s. He threatened to move the team to Baltimore
Baltimore
Baltimore is the largest independent city in the United States and the largest city and cultural center of the US state of Maryland. The city is located in central Maryland along the tidal portion of the Patapsco River, an arm of the Chesapeake Bay. Baltimore is sometimes referred to as Baltimore...
if Cincinnati or Hamilton County would not fund a new stadium
Stadium
A modern stadium is a place or venue for outdoor sports, concerts, or other events and consists of a field or stage either partly or completely surrounded by a structure designed to allow spectators to stand or sit and view the event.)Pausanias noted that for about half a century the only event...
. The leverage
Leverage (negotiation)
In negotiation, leverage is the ability to influence the other side to move closer to one's negotiating position.Types of leverage include positive leverage, negative leverage, and normative leverage.-Normative Leverage:...
of this threat proved successful as Cincinnati’s City Council
City council
A city council or town council is the legislative body that governs a city, town, municipality or local government area.-Australia & NZ:Because of the differences in legislation between the States, the exact definition of a City Council varies...
and the Hamilton County Commissioners opted to fund the new Paul Brown Stadium
Paul Brown Stadium
Paul Brown Stadium is an American sports stadium located in Cincinnati, Ohio. It is the home venue of the Cincinnati Bengals of the National Football League. It opened on August 19, 2000. The stadium was named after Bengals' founder Paul Brown. The stadium is located on approximately of land and...
with a proposed county sales tax increase, which needed voter approval. In 1996, Hamilton County
Hamilton County, Ohio
As of 2000, there were 845,303 people, 346,790 households, and 212,582 families residing in the county. The population density was 2,075 people per square mile . There were 373,393 housing units at an average density of 917 per square mile...
voters passed a one-half percent sales tax
Sales tax
A sales tax is a tax, usually paid by the consumer at the point of purchase, itemized separately from the base price, for certain goods and services. The tax amount is usually calculated by applying a percentage rate to the taxable price of a sale....
increase to fund the building of a new facility for the Bengals and a second new facility for the Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
Cincinnati Reds
Cincinnati Reds
The Cincinnati Reds are a Major League Baseball team based in Cincinnati, Ohio. They are members of the National League Central Division. The club was established in 1882 as a charter member of the American Association and joined the National League in 1890....
., the Bengals filed suit against the County for the right to manage it in 2000. County commissioners agreed to let a Bengals' subsidiary run the stadium and it opened later that year.
Todd Portune
Todd Portune is an American politician of the Democratic Party, who currently serves as a commissioner for Hamilton County, Ohio. Before holding that position, Portune was a councilman for the city of Cincinnati....
(a former Cincinnati City Council member, though not Commissioner at the time the parties executed the lease), filed a lawsuit
Lawsuit
A lawsuit or "suit in law" is a civil action brought in a court of law in which a plaintiff, a party who claims to have incurred loss as a result of a defendant's actions, demands a legal or equitable remedy. The defendant is required to respond to the plaintiff's complaint...
in federal district court against the NFL, the Bengals and the other 31 NFL teams. Portune felt, among other things, that published revenues from 1995-1999 contradicted Brown's claims of financial distress. The Hamilton County Board of Commissioners eventually was substituted as the plaintiff in the case. Fans supporting Portune cite what they feel is the broken promise that the Bengals would "be more competitive" with a new stadium. The Bengals have had only two winning seasons out of 11 since the stadium opened.
Rick Eckstein, co-author of "Public Dollars, Private Stadiums," describes the Hamilton County arrangement as "the single most lopsided stadium deal since 1993" and questions Bob Bedinghaus' role with the team after having been County Commissioner when the deal was reached. A 2008 Forbes
Forbes
Forbes is an American publishing and media company. Its flagship publication, the Forbes magazine, is published biweekly. Its primary competitors in the national business magazine category are Fortune, which is also published biweekly, and Business Week...
survey suggests the team's rankings in direct revenues have dropped since the stadium's construction (placing the team 21st in total value at $941 million).
The Bengals have requested that the County extend the lease for the stadium for 20 years, while Portune maintains his criticisms of the original agreement.
Lack of on-the-field success
Since Brown became owner, the team has had only 2 winning seasons out of 20 and has a winning percentage of .361 (115-204-1) in the regular season and .000 (0-2) in the playoffs. In 2008, the Bengals set a record for the most games needed under one specific owner to attain 100 wins (288). In 2010, the team set a record for the least games needed to lose 200 (both considering and not considering playoffs) under one specific owner (314).The Bengals hold a number of distinctions for the time frame of Brown's ownership: It is the only team with three nine-game-or-more losing streaks. It also holds six of the twenty-five 0-6 starts (24%) and four of the thirteen 0-8 starts (31%) in that time. The Bengals have gone winless in October eight different times in twenty years under five different head coaches (Sam Wyche was originally hired by Paul Brown).
The most successful coach during Mike Brown's tenure is current coach Marvin Lewis
Marvin Lewis
Marvin Ronald Lewis is the head coach of the Cincinnati Bengals of the National Football League, a position he has held since January 14, 2003...
with a .465 winning percentage (60-69-1). The Bengals won the AFC North
AFC North
The American Football Conference North Division, or AFC North, is a division of the National Football League's American Football Conference. It was created prior to the 1967 season as the NFL Century Division when the NFL split into four divisions...
Division in 2005 and 2009 (then losing to the division rival
Bengals-Steelers rivalry
The Bengals-Steelers rivalry is a rivalry in the NFL. The two teams have played each other twice a year since becoming division rivals in 1970, the lone exception being 1982, when the annual matchup in Cincinnati was canceled due to the player's strike; the teams only met in Week 2 in Pittsburgh...
Pittsburgh Steelers
Pittsburgh Steelers
The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional football team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The team currently belongs to the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Founded in , the Steelers are the oldest franchise in the AFC...
and New York Jets
New York Jets
The New York Jets are a professional football team headquartered in Florham Park, New Jersey, representing the New York metropolitan area. The team is a member of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
respectively).
In 2009 Yahoo sports ranked Mike Brown as the second worst owner in the NFL.
Philosophy
Brown is considered the de facto general manager of the team. In 2009, the Cincinnati Enquirer publicized details of testimony in a Hamilton County Probate Court trialTrial
A trial is, in the most general sense, a test, usually a test to see whether something does or does not meet a given standard.It may refer to:*Trial , the presentation of information in a formal setting, usually a court...
over the $300 million estate of Austin Knowlton. Brown testified that he received a general manager bonus every year since he took over the team in 1991. Due to the team's record under his ownership, Brown has been subject to criticism for his approach to the running the football side of the Bengals' organization.
Tolerance of off field conduct
In the mid-to-late 2000s, the Bengals were involved in a series of disciplinary measures with a variety of players. In 2005, the Bengals drafted Chris Henry and Odell ThurmanOdell Thurman
Odell Lamar Thurman is an American football linebacker for the Virginia Destroyers of the United Football League. He was drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals in the second round of the 2005 NFL Draft. He played college football at Georgia....
, each considered exceptionally talented but possible disciplinary hazards during their college careers. The following year, they were among nine Bengals players arrested for various offenses. Brown cut several "problem players" in 2008 including Henry and Thurman, but re-signed Henry later that year. This came after five arrests of Henry and Brown's statement earlier in the year that Henry's "conduct could no longer be tolerated." One fan protested by purchasing an electronic billboard
Billboard
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
along the Cincinnati interstate
Interstate Highway System
The Dwight D. Eisenhower National System of Interstate and Defense Highways, , is a network of limited-access roads including freeways, highways, and expressways forming part of the National Highway System of the United States of America...
reading "CHRIS HENRY AGAIN? ARE YOU SERIOUS?" Henry died during a domestic dispute on December 17, 2009. Commenting on his death, Brown defended his decision to re-sign Henry, noting that "We knew him in a different way than his public persona.". Posthumously, it was discovered that Chris Henry was suffering from a progressive degenerative brain disease known as Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy, or CTE. According to a West Virginia University research study, the CTE may have contributed to Chris Henry's troubled behavior and, ultimately, his death.
Later in 2008, the Bengals signed running back Cedric Benson
Cedric Benson
Cedric Myron Benson is an American football running back for the Cincinnati Bengals of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Chicago Bears fourth overall in the 2005 NFL Draft...
, whom the Chicago Bears
Chicago Bears
The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
had waived, in part, due to his off-field activities. In 2009, the team added Larry Johnson to provide depth for the position after the Kansas City Chiefs
Kansas City Chiefs
The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. They are a member of the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Originally named the Dallas Texans, the club was founded by Lamar Hunt in 1960 as a...
released him for "detrimental conduct." Johnson had also experienced recent legal difficulties. Benson was among 2009's leading NFL rushers, while Johnson saw limited action.
Brown has commented that the league's current attitude towards discipline is a change from a past "boys will be boys" attitude. Brown's father welcomed tailback Stanley Wilson
Stanley Wilson Sr.
Stanley T. Wilson, Sr. is an American former professional football player, a running back, who played for the NFL's Cincinnati Bengals...
back to the Bengals in 1988 after two drug suspensions. Wilson relapse
Relapse
Relapse, in relation to drug misuse, is resuming the use of a drug or a dependent substance after one or more periods of abstinence. The term is a landmark feature of both substance dependence and substance abuse, which are learned behaviors, and is maintained by neuronal adaptations that mediate...
d the night before Super Bowl XXIII
Super Bowl XXIII
Super Bowl XXIII was an American football game played on January 22, 1989 at Joe Robbie Stadium in Miami, Florida to decide the National Football League champion following the 1988 regular season. This was the first Super Bowl hosted in the Miami area in 10 years, and the first in Miami not held...
and his absence in short-yardage situations affected the Bengals' efforts in one of the closest Super Bowl
Super Bowl
The Super Bowl is the championship game of the National Football League , the highest level of professional American football in the United States, culminating a season that begins in the late summer of the previous calendar year. The Super Bowl uses Roman numerals to identify each game, rather...
games in history.
Loyalty Issues
Brown is historically reluctant to fire personnel after multiple losing seasons. His first hire as head coachHead coach
A head coach, senior coach or manager is a professional at training and developing athletes. They typically hold a more public profile and are paid more than other coaches...
, David Shula, lost fifty games faster than any NFL coach in history (69 games). Shula's successor, Bruce Coslet
Bruce Coslet
Bruce Coslet is a former American college and professional football player and professional football coach. A tight end, he played for the University of the Pacific and in 1969 debuted with the American Football League's Cincinnati Bengals...
, resigned with a 21-39 record in 2000; Brown had yet to fire him. Current head coach Marvin Lewis has two winning seasons out of eight in Cincinnati, two playoff appearances, and a 60-67-1 regular season record (0-2 playoff record). Nevertheless, Brown agreed to extend Lewis' contract shortly after its expiration at the end of the 2010 season.
Brown also values his family's connection with the franchise; evident in his choosing to name Paul Brown Stadium after his father rather than to sell corporate naming rights
Naming rights
In the private sector, naming rights are a financial transaction whereby a corporation or other entity purchases the right to name a facility, typically for a defined period of time. For properties like a multi-purpose arena, performing arts venue or an athletic field, the term ranges from three...
for it. Daughter Katie Blackburn is the president of the team and her husband Troy is an executive VP with additional family members among the front office staff. From 1994-2000, the Bengals paid out over $50 million to the Brown family members of Bengals staff in salaries.
Former Bengals receiver Cris Collinsworth
Cris Collinsworth
Anthony Cris Collinsworth is a former American college and professional football player who was a wide receiver in the National Football League for eight seasons in the 1980s. He played college football for the University of Florida, and thereafter, he played his entire professional career for...
argues Brown's loyalty played a role in decision to not persuade Boomer Esiason
Boomer Esiason
Norman Julius "Boomer" Esiason is a former American football quarterback and current network color commentator. He played for the National Football League's Cincinnati Bengals, New York Jets, and Arizona Cardinals before working as an analyst for ABC and HBO...
out of retiring despite a productive 1997 season
1997 NFL season
The 1997 NFL season was the 78th regular season of the National Football League. The Oilers relocated from Houston, Texas to Nashville, Tennessee...
. Esiason became a color analyst on ABC's
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
Monday Night Football
Monday Night Football
Monday Night Football is a live broadcast of the National Football League on ESPN. From to it aired on ABC. Monday Night Football was, along with Hallmark Hall of Fame, and the Walt Disney anthology television series, one of the longest running prime time commercial network television series...
. Collinsworth suggested Brown "thought he was doing the right thing by Boomer" and did not want to cost him the MNF job. Collinsworth contrasted this attitude to other NFL owners, like the Dallas Cowboys'
Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football franchise which plays in the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League . They are headquartered in Valley Ranch in Irving, Texas, a suburb of Dallas...
Jerry Jones
Jerry Jones
Jerral "Jerry" Wayne Jones is the owner and general manager of the NFL team, the Dallas Cowboys.-Early life:Jones was born in Los Angeles, California. His family moved to North Little Rock, Arkansas when he was an infant. Jones was a star running back at North Little Rock High School...
, whom Collinsworth felt "would have flown Boomer down to the Bahamas on his personal jet, offered to kiss his ring
Championship ring
A championship ring is a ring presented to members of winning teams in professional sports leagues, and—in North America—college tournaments. In recent years, it has become common for American, and Canadian high schools to give championship rings to teams that win the state or provincial...
and signed him right there."
Scouting
Brown employs a very very puny scouting staff. A 2008 comparison between the Bengals' scouting department and five AFCAmerican Football Conference
The American Football Conference is one of the two conferences of the National Football League . This conference and its counterpart, the National Football Conference , currently contain 16 teams each, making up the 32 teams of the NFL....
teams with a .540+ winning percentage since 1991 showed the winning teams employing five or more scouts whereas the Bengals employed only one. In his first press conference as Bengals head coach, Marvin Lewis
Marvin Lewis
Marvin Ronald Lewis is the head coach of the Cincinnati Bengals of the National Football League, a position he has held since January 14, 2003...
claimed Brown assured him of a retooled scouting staff.
Emphasis on the quarterback
Brown has publicized his belief that a "bell cow" quarterback is a necessity in turning a team into a winner. In a 1999 interview, he remarked "If you don't have a productive quarterback, you won't go anywhere...I know it doesn't seem that simple, but it is." Comparing quarterbacks to other positions on a football team, Brown has said "He's the hub of the wheel...like a queen on a chessboard. These other guys are like rooks or bishops or other pieces that are not quite as valuable. Some are more valuable than others. That's just a fact."Brown turned down then-Saints
New Orleans Saints
The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans, Louisiana. They are members of the South Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League ....
coach Mike Ditka's
Mike Ditka
Michael Keller Ditka, Jr. is a former American football NFL player, television commentator, and coach. Ditka coached the Chicago Bears for 11 years and New Orleans Saints for three years. Ditka and Tom Flores are the only two people to win Super Bowls as a player, an assistant coach, and a head...
offer of nine draft picks for one in the 1999 NFL draft
1999 NFL Draft
The 1999 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 17-18, 1999...
against then-coach Coslet's advice. Coslet wanted as many draft picks as possible to help the Bengals' defense. Instead, Brown overruled Coslet and selected University of Oregon
University of Oregon
-Colleges and schools:The University of Oregon is organized into eight schools and colleges—six professional schools and colleges, an Arts and Sciences College and an Honors College.- School of Architecture and Allied Arts :...
quarterback Akili Smith
Akili Smith
Kabisa Akili Maradufu Smith is a former professional American and Canadian football quarterback. He was selected in the first round of the 1999 NFL Draft by the Cincinnati Bengals, the third quarterback in the first three choices, behind Tim Couch , and Donovan McNabb...
. Smith only played 22 games in his NFL career. Coslet later regretted that he "didn't insist hard enough" in trying to persuade Brown to accept the Saints' offer.
Before the 1992 Draft
1992 NFL Draft
The 1992 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 26–27, 1992. The league also held a supplemental draft after the regular draft...
, press reports stressed the Bengals' need for either a cornerback or defensive lineman. Brown himself had been quoted the day before the draft as stating "we would dearly love to get a top defensive lineman, they're at a premium, and it's less true of other positions." Instead, the Bengals selected Houston
University of Houston
The University of Houston is a state research university, and is the flagship institution of the University of Houston System. Founded in 1927, it is Texas's third-largest university with nearly 40,000 students. Its campus spans 667 acres in southeast Houston, and was known as University of...
quarterback David Klingler
David Klingler
David Ryan Klingler , is a former American football player. He was drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals after a record setting quarterback career at the University of Houston...
. Then Bengals quarterback Boomer Esiason and strong-safety David Fulcher
David Fulcher
David Dwayne Fulcher is a former American Football safety who played for the Cincinnati Bengals , and the Los Angeles Raiders in the National Football League...
both openly questioned the move the next day, arguing the team needed help on defense. Klingler became an eventual bust. Esiason has since revealed that he had actually demanded a trade at the end of the 1991 season, which may have influenced Brown to select Klingler (Esiason was traded to the New York Jets in 1993).
Brown placed a great deal of responsibility on Carson Palmer
Carson Palmer
Carson Palmer is an American professional football quarterback for the Oakland Raiders of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals first overall in the 2003 NFL Draft. He played collegiately at the University of Southern California and won the Heisman Trophy in 2002...
, calling him the Bengals' "lead dog" and stating "as he goes, we go." Palmer holds a number of team records and three Pro Bowl
Pro Bowl
In professional American football, the Pro Bowl is the all-star game of the National Football League . Since the merger with the rival American Football League in 1970, it has been officially called the AFC–NFC Pro Bowl, matching the top players in the American Football Conference against those...
selections. The Bengals were 46-51 (.474) with Palmer as starter. Palmer threatened retirement
Retirement
Retirement is the point where a person stops employment completely. A person may also semi-retire by reducing work hours.Many people choose to retire when they are eligible for private or public pension benefits, although some are forced to retire when physical conditions don't allow the person to...
from football if the Bengals did not trade
Trade (sports)
In professional sports, a trade is a sports league transaction involving an exchange of players' contracts or draft picks between teams. Cash is another commodity that may be packaged together with contracts or draft picks to complete a trade...
him during the 2011 offseason. Brown insisted that he wouldn't "reward" Palmer's demands, arguing that Palmer made a commitment to the organization when he received a contract extension. Brown released Carson's younger brother, Jordan from the team on August 27, 2011. On October 18, 2011 the Bengals finally traded Carson Palmer to the Oakland Raiders
Oakland Raiders
The Oakland Raiders are a professional American football team based in Oakland, California. They currently play in the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
for a first round pick in the 2012 NFL Draft and a conditional second round pick for the 2013 NFL Draft if Oakland makes it to the AFC Championship game in 2011 or 2012.
"Carl Pickens Clause"
In 1998, the Bengals cut punter Lee Johnson. Brown attempted to fine Johnson after cutting him for "conduct detrimental to the team" in relation to comments Johnson had made about the organization and the 1998 season. A reporter asked Johnson after a Bengals loss "if you were a fan, would you have come here today?" to which Johnson replied "No, no way...why would you? You're saying (losing) is OK. I guess if you've got nothing else to do. I'd sell my tickets." This fine resulted in a dispute with the NFL players union, whose counsel remarked "A fine is a disciplinary measure, you discipline someone to try and make sure they're a better employee in the future. How can you do that if you've fired them?"In 2000, the Bengals instituted a "loyalty clause," which allows the Bengals to deny various bonuses to players depending on the remarks they make about the Bengals. The ability to enact such a clause appears justified under the collective bargaining agreement which states an NFL team can fine a player one week's salary and suspend him without pay for up to four weeks for any action the club considers detrimental to the team. Brown responded that the clause would only be enacted under extreme circumstances. He wrote an editorial for the Cincinnati Enquirer, citing team cohesion as his main motivation for the clause.
It is often dubbed the "Carl Pickens
Carl Pickens
Carl McNally Pickens is a former American football wide receiver in the NFL who played for the Cincinnati Bengals, Dallas Cowboys and Tennessee Titans....
Clause," stemming from the 2000 offseason. Brown renewed Bruce Coslet's contract despite his 21–36 Bengals record. Pickens responded, "I don't understand it. We're trying to win; we're trying to turn this thing around out there. And they bring (Coslet) back." Pickens finished his career with the Tennessee Titans
Tennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans are a professional American football team based in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. They are members of the South Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Previously known as the Houston Oilers, the team began play in 1960 as a charter...
.
Over the years since the clause, Bengals players have commented on a negative atmosphere within the organization, notably Takeo Spikes
Takeo Spikes
Takeo Gerard Spikes is an American football linebacker for the San Diego Chargers of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals 13th overall in the 1998 NFL Draft...
, Jeff Blake
Jeff Blake
Jeff Bertrand Coleman Blake is a retired American football quarterback who played in the National Football League. Although he finished his career with the Chicago Bears, he was formerly a quarterback for the New York Jets, Cincinnati Bengals, New Orleans Saints, Baltimore Ravens, Arizona...
and Jon Kitna
Jon Kitna
Jon K. Kitna is an American football quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League. He was signed by the Seattle Seahawks as an undrafted free agent in 1996...
.
The most vocal critic of the Bengals since the clause was instituted was Corey Dillon
Corey Dillon
Corey James Dillon is a former American football running back. He played his ten-season career for the Cincinnati Bengals and the New England Patriots, wearing jersey number 28 for both teams. Dillon played college football the University of Washington where he wore the number 4.-High school...
. In 2001, after becoming the sixth player in NFL history to rush for 1,000 yards or more in five consecutive seasons, he remarked "at the end of the season, what do I have to feel good about? Nothing at all. It's not cool." After a fifth losing season with the team in 2002, he remarked ""I'm tired of it, six years of this B.S. I ain't lying to you. I'm sick of this crap, period." Dillon demanded a trade at the end of the 2003 season after throwing most of his gear he worn during the last home game to the fans and won a Super Bowl with the New England Patriots
New England Patriots
The New England Patriots, commonly called the "Pats", are a professional football team based in the Greater Boston area, playing their home games in the town of Foxborough, Massachusetts at Gillette Stadium. The team is part of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National...
in the following season.
Frugality
Leigh Steinberg
Leigh William Steinberg is an American sports agent and sports lawyer. His client list has included Steve Bartkowski, Steve Young, Troy Aikman, Warren Moon, Bruce Smith, Thurman Thomas, Kordell Stewart, Jeff George, Ben Roethlisberger, Myron Rolle, Matt Leinart, Mark Brunell, Ricky Williams,...
described Brown as "in a lonely fight for economic rationality in the NFL" and "a Don Quixote-type figure pushing back the forces of salary madness."http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9500E6DB1131F930A15757C0A962958260 Over the years, Brown has proven reluctant to finish free agent signings or trades. Warren Sapp
Warren Sapp
Warren Carlos Sapp is a retired American football player who played defensive tackle in the National Football League. He played for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Oakland Raiders during his 13 year professional career, and college football for the University of Miami Hurricanes. He was then...
(in 2004), Shaun Rogers (in 2008), and Johnathan Joseph
Johnathan Joseph
Johnathan Joseph is an American football cornerback with the Houston Texans, drafted 24th overall in the 2006 NFL Draft by the Cincinnati Bengals out of South Carolina.-College career:...
(in 2011) are notable recent examples.
Agent Drew Rosenhaus
Drew Rosenhaus
Drew Rosenhaus is an American sports agent who represents professional football players. He owns the Miami-based sports agency, Rosenhaus Sports, and is known for using aggressive tactics on behalf of his clients who play in the National Football League.Rosenhaus currently represents approximately...
described it as a "matter of hours" before the Bengals would sign Sapp, only a day before the Raiders signed him. Sapp accused the Bengals of "playing with the money" on the original deal they offered him, deferring more money to incentives rather than in guarantees. The Associated Press
Associated Press
The Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
reported a completed trade between Cincinnati and the Detroit Lions
Detroit Lions
The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League , and play their home games at Ford Field in Downtown Detroit.Originally based in Portsmouth, Ohio and...
on February 29, 2008 for Rogers. However, the trade fell through and the next day, it was confirmed that the Lions instead traded Rogers to the Cleveland Browns
Cleveland Browns
The Cleveland Browns are a professional football team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are currently members of the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
. http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080229/SPORTS01/80229042/1048/SPORTS
Fan Response
Organizers from MikeBrownSucks organized a boycott of a December 2001 regular season game and fans visiting this site as well as another site, SaveTheBengals.com, paid for planes to fly a banner in the Cincinnati area calling for Brown's resignation.Who Dey Revolution (WDR) has staged "Project Mayhem" since 2008 in an effort to persuade Brown to make changes to the Bengals. These steps ranged from calling the Bengals "JERK line" to report Brown's behavior as abusive to purchasing billboards displaying a request for a General Manager to merchandise and ticket donations/boycotts and letter-writing campaigns. The website's purchase and distribution of 1000 urinal cakes
Urinal deodorizer block
Urinal deodorizer blocks, also often called urinal cakes, urinal mints, urinal pucks, or urinal cookies, are the small disinfectant blocks found in urinals....
at a Bengals' home game advertised Brown's lifetime regular season record of 98-186-1 to that point.
WDR publishes a comic strip
Comic strip
A comic strip is a sequence of drawings arranged in interrelated panels to display brief humor or form a narrative, often serialized, with text in balloons and captions....
titled "The Lost Generation", presenting Mike Brown in a Charlie Brown
Charlie Brown
Charles "Charlie" Brown is the protagonist in the comic strip Peanuts by Charles M. Schulz.Charlie Brown and his creator have a common connection in that they are both the sons of barbers, but whereas Schulz's work is described as the "most shining example of the American success story", Charlie...
esque caricature, presumably to correlate Brown's track record to the famous cartoon character's history of hard luck and failure
Failure
Failure refers to the state or condition of not meeting a desirable or intended objective, and may be viewed as the opposite of success. Product failure ranges from failure to sell the product to fracture of the product, in the worst cases leading to personal injury, the province of forensic...
.
Despite these protests, the Bengals have remained popular within Cincinnati. A November 21, 2010 game vs. the Buffalo Bills
Buffalo Bills
The Buffalo Bills are a professional football team based in Buffalo, New York. They are currently members of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
marked the first time since November '03 that network affiliate
Network affiliate
In the broadcasting industry , a network affiliate is a local broadcaster which carries some or all of the television program or radio program line-up of a television or radio network, but is owned by a company other than the owner of the network...
s and DirectTV were legally obliged to "black out"
Blackout (broadcasting)
Blackout usually relates to the broadcasting of sports events, television programming, that is prohibited in a certain media market.The purpose is theoretically to generate more revenue by obliging certain actions from fans, either by making them buy tickets or watch other games on TV...
the Bengals game within a 75-mile radius of Paul Brown Stadium for lack of ticket sales. The remaining home games against the New Orleans Saints
New Orleans Saints
The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans, Louisiana. They are members of the South Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League ....
, Cleveland Browns
Cleveland Browns
The Cleveland Browns are a professional football team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are currently members of the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
, and San Diego Chargers
San Diego Chargers
The San Diego Chargers are a professional American football team based in San Diego, California. they were members of the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
were also blacked out. Prior to this, the team sold out 57 straight games, a club record.
Responses to criticism of Brown
Several people cast Mike Brown sympathetically in response to fan and media criticism. After a surprising upset of the Kansas City ChiefsKansas City Chiefs
The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. They are a member of the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Originally named the Dallas Texans, the club was founded by Lamar Hunt in 1960 as a...
in 2003, Marvin Lewis tearfully awarded the game ball to Brown and told his players "he has put up with so much for you guys." Former Bengals dismiss notions that Brown is unconcerned with winning. Boomer Esiason, now a CBS analyst
NFL on CBS
The NFL on CBS is the brand name of the CBS television network's coverage of the National Football League's American Football Conference games, produced by CBS Sports.-Market coverage and television policies:...
, refers to Brown as a "nice man" who is simply over his head running the team. In 1998 interviews, Cris Collinsworth and Bengals radio analyst Dave Lapham
Dave Lapham
Dave Lapham , is a former professional football offensive lineman for the National Football League's Cincinnati Bengals from 1974 to 1983 and the United States Football League's New Jersey Generals...
also rejected notions that Brown did not care about winning. Collinsworth remarked "I don't think anybody could be suffering more over this than Mike is with the exception of the fans, players and taxpayers."
Personal life
Brown is considered somewhat reclusive although he occasionally grants interviews, mostly to discuss offseason moves with the Bengals. In 2008, Brown and the Bengals donated $250,000 to assist the Cincinnati Park Board in paying for Cincinnati Riverfront Park.External links
- Stadium Deal
- Player Legal Problems
- Paul BrownPaul BrownPaul Eugene Brown was a coach in American football and a major figure in the development of the National Football League...
- Historical statistics of the team
- Mike Brown Editorial
- Bengals.com
- Pro-football-reference.com
- WHODEYREVOLUTION.COM
- Mike Brown Sucks.COM