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A Cincinnati Bengals Ring of Honor is long overdue.
We’ve banged such a drum for a long time. So have fans. The franchise spending its 50th season recently honoring past greats was a good step in the right direction and at the time, hopefully a sign of things to come.
But it’s hard not to revisit this topic in the wake of Ken Riley’s passing.
Riley, owner of the fifth-most interceptions on the all-time list and three All-Pro selections over 15 seasons was robbed of the Hall of Fame.
Deserving Bengals getting overlooked by the politics of the Hall of Fame isn’t unusual. But it isn’t something Bengals greats should have to worry about from the team itself.
This Bengals franchise shouldn’t have any issues crafting a Ring of Honor. National perceptions aside, almost countless examples of easy inductees exist. Here’s an easy starter list:
- Ken Riley
- Anthony Munoz
- Ken Anderson
- Cris Collinsworth
- Tim Krumrie
- Boomer Esiason
- Isaac Curtis
- Willie Anderson
- Chad Johnson
- Corey Dillon
- James Brooks
- Lemar Parrish
- David Fulcher
See? This isn’t hard — not by a long shot. Feel free to reserve spots for Andrew Whitworth, A.J. Green and Geno Atkins when they retire.
Honoring greats shouldn’t be an every-now-and-then thing and there really isn’t a great excuse. The Houston Texans, a franchise started in 2002, crafted its Ring of Honor in 2017.
What’s the excuse in Cincinnati? And to be blunt, if an organization with history as rich as the Bengals isn’t going to take this as seriously as an expansion franchise, it might hint to why Hall of Fame voters don’t mind snubbing their greats, either.
The Bengals, as a franchise, have shown some badly-needed modernization over the last year or so. But this one can’t wait any longer — the Ring of Honor needs to happen now — with Riley the first name called.
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