Under the header, "Bengals Owe Public Changes In
Management," a CINCINNATI ENQUIRER editorial on Sunday
stated, "The consistent variable in the Bengals' failure is
bad management. Coaches and players come and go while
[Bengals President Mike] Brown stays in control of a
franchise that gets worse every year." No team "wants to be
the laughing stock of their profession. But that describes
the Bengals and Mr. Brown. ... They cannot go on conducting
bad business as usual, humiliating Cincinnati and
discouraging fans." The editorial noted taxpayer support of
the team's new stadium and the city's sellout guarantee for
the facility's first 20 games. The ENQUIRER: "[Brown] has a
moral and ethical obligation. He owes Hamilton County
taxpayers better than this. ... Angry taxpayers and
discouraged fans need a gesture, a reason to hope, some
visible sign of a better future" (CINCIN. ENQUIRER, 11/14).
BENSON ALSO FEELING HEAT: In New Orleans, Dave Lagarde
wrote on the Saints' management before the team's win over
the 49ers yesterday: "The franchise makes atrocious
decisions. It has faulty leadership. It has an owner who
wants nothing more than for the people of Louisiana to throw
good money after bad in order to help him compete" (New
Orleans TIMES-PICAYUNE, 11/14). Also in New Orleans, Jimmy
Smith wrote that Saints Owner Tom Benson has few options if
he does decide to relocate. Smith: "His team's lease with
the Superdome is more or less ironclad until July 1, 2006"
(New Orleans TIMES-PICAYUNE, 11/14).
