Can we be real about this? The Cincinnati Bengals may be improving, slowly but surely, at defying their reputation as a cheap-o football operation, but public perception often takes a long time to catch up to reality.
And guess what? Based on Boomer Esiason's latest testimony about his invitation to attend the Bengals' Ring of Honor game this season, the Bengals are still cutting corners and behaving like a poverty franchise in many ways.
Forget the ongoing Trey Hendrickson saga for a moment. That will be resolved one way or another by Week 2 at the latest. This new subplot speaks to the chronic illness that plagues this organization to this day: Cheapness.
Boomer Esiason sounds off on Bengals' Ring of Honor antics
On his Boomer & Gio radio show, Esiason gave his audience the scoop on the invitation he received to attend the Bengals' Ring of Honor game (and other events around it) against the New York Jets on Oct. 26. Cornerback Lemar Parrish and guard-turned-media-analyst Dave Lapham will become the 11th and 12th members of the exclusive club.
Here's what Esiason had to say about the organization's special occasion and the logistics behind it. The rant and exchange with Gregg Giannotti (aka "Gio") are quite lengthy, so I'll do my best to truncate it down to the most critical bits:
"We kindly ask you RSVP no later than Friday August 22nd [...] to guarantee your seats...Two complimentary tickets, with an opportunity to purchase an additional if you wish to [attend] our celebratory events below. [...] If you are traveling in for the weekend from out of town, we have secured a block of rooms at the [...] Renaissance Cincinnati downtown hotel at a preferred discounted rate. [...] Rooms are limited, so please book directly for early and the best rate and we look forward to hosting you in the jungle for an unforgettable weekend. Don't hesitate to reach out to me or another guy on the staff with any questions. Thank you, and Who Dey."
Gio and Boomer go back and forth a little more, where it's revealed that the team isn't covering airfare for any of its Ring of Honor members. Esiason also is of the understanding that no special seating is provided for the Bengals franchise cornerstones who choose to attend.
So to recap, Bengals Ring of Honor members — all 10 of them! — invited to attend the game have the following "privileges" afforded to them:
- Booking a *discounted* room themselves at a downtown hotel
- Paying for their own round-trip airfare
- Not sitting in a box or suite at Paycor Stadium
Gio called the whole fiasco "embarrassing" for an NFL franchise. Couldn't agree more. To treat people who were so pivotal in building what the Bengals are today in such a flippant way is beyond humiliating.
Big ups to social media professional Rebecca Toback for putting this on the radar in her rant that captures how many Bengals faithful will feel about this news (Warning: Contains colorful language):
"We've heard forever that the Bengals are the cheapest team, and as a Bengals fan, I’ve really tried to defend them as best as I can. But this is absolutely gross. Boomer Esiason just said on his radio show that the Bengals have invited all of the Ring of Honor members to attend this year's Ring of Honor ceremony, and sent them a discount code for hotel rooms in the area. I'm sorry, what!? You pay for their f****** hotel rooms. You invited them to the game, you are paying for their hotel rooms in Cincinnati. Oh my GOD."
Feeling ragey this morning. May delete later. #Bengals pic.twitter.com/Z5quU3pt5e
— Rebecca Toback (@Rebecca_Toback) August 22, 2025
This is why I've been banging the drum to anyone who would listen about how imperative it is for the Bengals to ingratiate themselves to players as much as they can. That extends to those who've retired and are considered among the best players in franchise history.
Time and again, Bengals upper management displays a tone-deafness that's frankly appalling. They made Joe Burrow wait until a few days before Week 1 before they caved and gave him the no-brainer contract extension he was eligible for. And that's been the best-case scenario.
Cincinnati waited a year too long to extend Ja'Marr Chase. Waited two years too long to extend Tee Higgins. They caused their rookie first-round pick to hold out through much of the offseason program due to trivial contract language.
Similar shenanigans are transpiring behind the scenes regarding Hendrickson. Free agents are signing up to play in the city only because of Joe Burrow. There is zero other appeal beyond him, because the Bengals certainly don't treat their players right.
How many times do things like this need to happen to where the monetary cost savings outweigh the intangible damage the Bengals organization does to its reputation? It's just straight-up shameful. No other way to frame it.
Mike Brown and the Blackburns need to do better. What is going to drive the point home for it to finally register? Does it take a former star QB going on his own radio show to publicly air his grievances? Will that hit home? Or will this cheap, poverty franchise behavior persist in perpetuity?
Just when I thought I was at my wit's end over Trey's new deal, the resultant fallout on the defense, and the perpetually not-good-enough offensive line tasked with protecting the team's most important player, the Bengals stoop to a lower-than-low level in some other area.
Good on Boomer for speaking out. Somebody's got to hold this antiquated family football operation to account.