To many fans of the team, this will not be a surprise, but it still won't be pleasant to hear - Johnathan Joseph, former Bengals defender, has referred to the team as "cheap".
In an interview with HeraldOnline.com in Houston, he spoke out about how the Bengals franchise treat their players financially, especially in comparison to the Houston Texans (Joseph's new team).
“The first thing about Houston is it’s an organization run from a different perspective,” Joseph said. “In Cincy, the team lives off money it earns from football. Houston’s owner has other business interests and he controls the money."
"(The Texans) helped us when my wife lost our baby daughter in a miscarriage. But they help with anything you ask of them because they are a very caring organization with positive attitudes about its players," he added. "In Cincy, we’re told how much Gatorade we could take home. In Houston we get what we request. You get soap and deodorant at your request. You don’t have a roommate on road trips.”
While things like deodorant, soap and Gatorade may be small items, the willingness to provide or deny makes a difference in the mental comfort of the players. Joseph's point is that the players know they are taken care of in Houston, while there was always doubt in Cincinnati.
Yes, players making salaries like an NFL player can afford to buy their own items, but when a free agent has to choose between the Bengals and another team, these are the issues that can make the difference. Players around the league are friendly with one another, and word gets out about things like this.
