CINCINNATI — In lower than three weeks, Cincinnati Bengals proprietor Mike Brown can be turning 90 years outdated, however do not let his age idiot you. Brown nonetheless has his palms firmly on the heart beat of the group. Though he not often speaks to media, he all the time does at the very least one interview yearly, and that got here Monday throughout the group’s native media day.
Brown clearly knew he was going to get requested in regards to the group’s bitter contract dispute with first-round choose Shemar Stewart and when that query got here, the Bengals proprietor was prepared: He defined why the group is pushing so exhausting to vary the language in Stewart’s rookie contract. With rookie offers now slotted, either side know that Stewart can be signing a four-year, $18,969,276 deal as soon as it will get carried out, so this is not about cash. It is all in regards to the language within the contract.
Stewart needs his totally assured contract to be totally assured, which implies as quickly as he signed, he’ll be entitled to the total $18.97 million over the course of his four-year contract. Then again, the Bengals need the flexibility to void a few of these ensures if Stewart ought to violate any NFL insurance policies which may require a suspension or if he breaks the regulation. As Brown succinctly put it, he would not wish to be paying somebody who’s sitting in jail.
“His agent needs it to be in order that if he acted in a horrible vogue — that is all hypothetical — one thing that rises to the extent of going to jail, that we’d be on the road for the ensures for the longer term years that have not been paid,” Brown mentioned. “And our place is not any, if that occurs, we’re not going to be. We’re not going to be paying somebody who’s sitting in jail. That is not what we will do.”
Until it is Jerry Jones, it isn’t typically you hear an proprietor communicate so bluntly, however that is precisely what Brown did. Stewart and his agent, Zac Hiller, in all probability will not be thrilled to listen to these phrases come out of Brown’s mouth. The Bengals proprietor was basically saying that his group will not be budging on the subject of the contract language they’re proposing, which implies Stewart’s facet goes to have budge if he needs to get a deal carried out or this standoff might go on for weeks.
So what is going on to occur? We predicted when Stewart’s standoff with the Bengals would possibly finish, and you can check that out here. You may as well learn extra about Brown’s comments here.