Roughly a month remains before a key deadline for the Cincinnati Bengals to exercise one of multiple possible rolling two-year extensions on the lease at Paycor Stadium.
Until that date, expect to hear plenty of back-and-forth between the team and Hamilton County.
Case in point, in mid-May, the Bengals were displeased with the county for dismissing attorney Tom Gabelman, with the team’s lawyer calling it a “a real step backward” in the process. That came on the heels of team and county agreeing in late April on a memorandum to fund the first phase of stadium upgrades, provided a long-term lease agreement happens.
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The Bengals have since objected to a county consultant’s firm, citing past work with the Cleveland Browns as a conflict of interest.
Hamilton County Prosecutor Connie Pillich then accused the Bengals of not “coming faithfully to the negotiating table.”
Wednesday, the Bengals issued a rebuttal, with Emma Compton, lawyer for the Bengals, issuing a lengthy letter aimed at Pillich, according to Erin Glynn of the Cincinnati Enquirer:
“Despite your lack of involvement or any direct knowledge of ongoing lease discussions, you took liberties last week by making public comments regarding the team and questioning the team’s good faith efforts to negotiate a comprehensive agreement with the county.”
Got all that?
In short, the Bengals aren’t happy about the county’s change in representation and pointed to possible conflicts of interest, which the county denies and/or dismisses.
At the end of the day, the memorandum of funding that expresses a desire by both sides to get a long-term lease extension remains. The Bengals have until June 30 to use one of those rolling two-year extensions, something they can do up to five times.
Obviously, both parties want to avoid that and get something done now. But just as obviously, the public war of words — not unlike the team and players such as Trey Hendrickson — will continue until something gets done.
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