Bengals Owner on Shemar Stewart Standoff:
Cincinnati Bengals owner Mike Brown is known for keeping a low profile, but when he speaks—people listen. And during Monday’s local media day, the 89-year-old made headlines by breaking his silence on the team’s contract standoff with Shemar Stewart, the Bengals’ first-round pick. In typical Brown fashion, he didn’t mince words.
“It’s simple,” Brown said. “We’re not paying someone who’s sitting in jail.”
The conflict isn’t about money, both sides have already agreed on the numbers: four years, $18.97 million, all fully guaranteed. The sticking point is the language. Stewart’s camp, led by agent Zac Hiller, wants the full contract guaranteed regardless of any off-field issues. Brown and the Bengals? Not a chance.
“If he acted in a terrible fashion, this is all hypothetical, something that rises to the level of going to prison, we don’t want to be on the line for future guarantees,” Brown explained.
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Why they Are Holding Firm
Brown’s reasoning is blunt but logical: the Bengals don’t want to be financially responsible if Stewart breaks NFL policy or the law. Essentially, they want the right to void guarantees if the rookie gets suspended or lands in legal trouble.
This is a rare public stance from an NFL owner, outside of perhaps Jerry Jones, but it underscores how serious the Bengals are about player conduct and protecting their investments.
The pressure is now on Stewart and his team to budge. With training camp just around the corner, the risk of a prolonged holdout grows by the day. Unless one side gives ground, this contract dispute could carry into the preseason.
For now, it’s a classic clash between player empowerment and owner control, and Mike Brown isn’t blinking.
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