Who is Michael Brown? The professional football world knows him as Mike Brown, he is the owner of the
Cincinnati Bengals, an
American football team in the
National Football League. He is the son of former
Cleveland Browns,
Ohio State University and Cincinnati Bengals coach/co-founder,
Paul Brown.
Brown's ownership has been criticized for a lack of on-field success, his refusal to cede football operations to a
general manager and the team's relationship with
Hamilton County before and after a voter-approved tax increase to fund
Paul Brown Stadium.
Before Bengals ownership
 |
| Paul Brown |
He is one of two sons by Paul Brown and was born in August 10, 1935. (His brother, Pete, is currently the Senior Vice-President of Bengals' player personnel.
[1]) He studied law and was the football team's
quarterback at
Dartmouth College, graduating in 1957.
[2] In an unusual meeting between future sports owners, eventual
New York Yankees owner
George Steinbrenner hired him to a summer job as a deck hand for
Kinsman Marine Transit Company.
[3]
Brown eventually followed his father into football management. Paul Brown founded the Bengals, then an
American Football League team, in 1968. (This was several years after Paul Brown was dismissed as
Cleveland Browns head coach in a well-publicized falling out with
Art Modell). Mike Brown began his executive duties with the Bengals as assistant general manager. Along with personnel decisions, he was a spokesperson for the team on issues of league rules and team policy.
[4][5]
Taking over the team
He assumed ownership responsibilities upon his father's death in August 1991
[6] and has remained in the ownership position since. His first significant move as owner was to fire popular coach
Sam Wyche after the 1991 season (although he originally claimed that Wyche resigned).
[7] Days later, Brown hired
Dave Shula to be head coach, making Shula (at the time) the second youngest NFL head coach in history and making Dave and
Don Shula the first father-son to lead different NFL teams in the same year.
[8] Going into 1993, Brown sought to negotiate a new lease with
Cincinnati to keep the Bengals in the city.
Threats to move and a new stadium deal
Initially, Brown rejected advances from other cities to discuss moving the team.
[9] By 1995, he felt
Riverfront Stadium's small
seating capacity and lack of
luxury boxes prohibited the Bengals' success.
[10]
In 1995, he announced that Cincinnati had
breached its
lease agreement when it was late by one week in paying $167,000 in
concession receipts.
[11] He threatened to move the team to
Baltimore if Cincinnati or Hamilton County would not fund a new
stadium.
[12] The
leverage of this threat proved successful as Cincinnati’s
City Council and the Hamilton County Commissioners opted to fund the new
Paul Brown Stadium with a proposed county sales tax increase, which needed voter approval. In 1996,
Hamilton County voters passed a one-half percent
sales tax increase to fund the building of a new facility for the Bengals
and a second new facility for the
Major League Baseball Cincinnati Reds.,
[13] the Bengals filed suit against the County for the right to manage it in 2000.
[14] County commissioners agreed to let a Bengals' subsidiary run the stadium
[15] and it opened later that year.
[16]
In 2007, Hamilton County Commissioner
Todd Portune (a former Cincinnati City Council member, though not Commissioner at the time the parties executed the lease), filed a
lawsuit in
federal district court against the NFL, the Bengals and the other 31 NFL teams. Portune felt, among other things, that published revenues from 1995-1999
[17] contradicted Brown's claims of financial distress. The Hamilton County Board of Commissioners eventually was substituted as the plaintiff in the case.
[11] Fans supporting Portune cite what they feel is the broken promise that the Bengals would "be more competitive" with a new stadium.
[18] The Bengals have had only two winning seasons out of 11 since the stadium opened.
Rick Eckstein, co-author of "Public Dollars, Private Stadiums," describes the Hamilton County arrangement as "the single most lopsided stadium deal since 1993" and questions Bob Bedinghaus'
[19] role with the team after having been County Commissioner when the deal was reached.
[20] A 2008
Forbes survey suggests the team's rankings in direct revenues have dropped since the stadium's construction (placing the team 21st in total value at $941 million).
[21]
The Bengals have requested that the County extend the lease for the stadium for 20 years, while Portune maintains his criticisms of the original agreement.
[22][23]
Lack of on-the-field success
Since Brown became owner, the team has had only 2 winning seasons out of 20 and has a winning percentage of .361 (115-204-1) in the regular season and .000 (0-2) in the playoffs.
[24] In 2008, the Bengals set a record for the most games needed under one specific owner to attain 100 wins (288). In 2010, the team set a record for the least games needed to lose 200 (both considering and not considering playoffs) under one specific owner (314).
[25]
The Bengals hold a number of distinctions for the time frame of Brown's ownership: It is the only team with three nine-game-or-more losing streaks.
[26] It also holds six of the twenty-five 0-6 starts (24%)
[27] and four of the thirteen 0-8 starts (31%) in that time.
[28] The Bengals have gone winless in October eight different times in twenty years under five different head coaches (Sam Wyche was originally hired by Paul Brown).
The most successful coach during Mike Brown's tenure is current coach
Marvin Lewis with a .465 winning percentage (60-69-1). The Bengals won the
AFC North Division in 2005 and 2009 (then losing to the
division rival Pittsburgh Steelers and
New York Jets respectively).
Philosophy
Brown is considered the
de facto general manager of the team. In 2009, the
Cincinnati Enquirer publicized details of testimony in a Hamilton County
Probate Court trial over the $300 million estate of
Austin Knowlton. Brown testified that he received a general manager bonus every year since he took over the team in 1991.
[29] Due to the team's record under his ownership, Brown has been subject to criticism for his approach to the running the football side of the Bengals' organization.
Tolerance of off field conduct
 |
| Chris Henry |
In the mid-to-late 2000s, the Bengals were involved in a series of disciplinary measures with a variety of players. In 2005, the Bengals drafted
Chris Henry and
Odell Thurman, each considered exceptionally talented but possible disciplinary hazards during their
college careers.
[30][31] The following year, they were among
nine Bengals players arrested for various offenses. Brown cut several "problem players" in 2008 including Henry and Thurman, but re-signed Henry later that year.
[32] This came after five arrests of Henry and Brown's statement earlier in the year that Henry's "conduct could no longer be tolerated."
[33] One fan protested by purchasing an electronic
billboard along the Cincinnati
interstate reading "CHRIS HENRY AGAIN? ARE YOU SERIOUS?"
[34] Henry
died during a domestic dispute on December 17, 2009. Commenting on his death, Brown defended his decision to re-sign Henry, noting that "We knew him in a different way than his public persona."
[35]
Later in 2008, the Bengals signed running back
Cedric Benson, whom the
Chicago Bears had waived, in part, due to his
off-field activities.
[36] In 2009, the team added
Larry Johnson to provide depth for the position after the
Kansas City Chiefs released him for "detrimental conduct."
[37] Johnson had also experienced
recent legal difficulties. Benson was among 2009's leading NFL rushers, while Johnson saw limited action.
Brown has commented that the league's current attitude towards discipline is a change from a past "boys will be boys" attitude.
[38] Brown's father welcomed tailback
Stanley Wilson back to the Bengals in 1988 after two drug suspensions. Wilson
relapsed the night before
Super Bowl XXIII[39] and his absence in short-yardage situations affected the Bengals' efforts in one of the closest
Super Bowl games in history.
[40]
Loyalty Issues
Brown is historically reluctant to fire personnel after multiple losing seasons. His first hire as
head coach,
David Shula, lost fifty games faster than any NFL coach in history (69 games).
[41] Shula's successor,
Bruce Coslet, resigned with a 21-39 record in 2000; Brown had yet to fire him.
[42] Current head coach Marvin Lewis has two winning seasons out of eight in Cincinnati, two playoff appearances, and a 60-67-1 regular season record (0-2 playoff record). Nevertheless, Brown agreed to extend Lewis' contract shortly after its expiration at the end of the 2010 season.
[43]
Brown also values his family's connection with the franchise; evident in his choosing to name Paul Brown Stadium after his father rather than to sell corporate
naming rights for it.
[44] Daughter Katie Blackburn is the president of the team and her husband Troy is an executive VP with additional family members among the front office staff.
[45] From 1994-2000, the Bengals paid out over $50 million to the Brown family members of Bengals staff in salaries.
[46]
 |
| Boomer Esiason |
Former Bengals receiver
Cris Collinsworth argues Brown's loyalty played a role in decision to not persuade
Boomer Esiason out of retiring despite a productive
1997 season. Esiason became a
color analyst on
ABC's Monday Night Football. Collinsworth suggested Brown "thought he was doing the right thing by Boomer" and did not want to cost him the
MNF job. Collinsworth contrasted this attitude to other NFL owners, like the
Dallas Cowboys' Jerry Jones, whom Collinsworth felt "would have flown Boomer down to the
Bahamas on his personal jet, offered to kiss his
ring and signed him right there."
[47]
Scouting
Brown employs a small scouting staff. A 2008 comparison between the Bengals' scouting department and five
AFC teams with a .540+ winning percentage since 1991 showed the winning teams employing five or more scouts whereas the Bengals employed only one.
[48] In his first press conference as Bengals head coach,
Marvin Lewis claimed Brown assured him of a retooled scouting staff.
[49]
Emphasis on the quarterback
Brown has publicized his belief that a "bell cow" quarterback is a necessity in turning a team into a winner.
[50] In a 1999 interview, he remarked "If you don't have a productive quarterback, you won't go anywhere...I know it doesn't seem that simple, but it is."
[51] Comparing quarterbacks to other positions on a football team, Brown has said "He's the hub of the wheel...like a queen on a chessboard. These other guys are like rooks or bishops or other pieces that are not quite as valuable. Some are more valuable than others. That's just a fact."
[52]
Brown turned down then-
Saints coach
Mike Ditka's offer of
nine draft picks for one in the
1999 NFL draft[53] against then-coach Coslet's advice. Coslet wanted as many draft picks as possible to help the Bengals' defense.
[54] Instead, Brown overruled Coslet and selected
University of Oregon quarterback
Akili Smith.
[55] Smith only played 22 games in his NFL career. Coslet later regretted that he "didn't insist hard enough" in trying to persuade Brown to accept the Saints' offer.
[54]
Before the
1992 Draft, press reports stressed the Bengals' need for either a cornerback or defensive lineman.
[56] Brown himself had been quoted the day before the draft as stating "we would dearly love to get a top defensive lineman, they're at a premium, and it's less true of other positions."
[57] Instead, the Bengals selected
Houston quarterback
David Klingler. Then Bengals quarterback Boomer Esiason and strong-safety
David Fulcher both openly questioned the move the next day, arguing the team needed help on defense.
[58] Klingler became an eventual
bust. Esiason has since revealed that he had actually demanded a trade at the end of the 1991 season, which may have influenced Brown to select Klingler (Esiason was traded to the New York Jets in 1993).
[59]
 |
| Carson Palmer |
Brown places a great deal of responsibility on current quarterback
Carson Palmer, calling him the Bengals' "lead dog" and stating "as he goes, we go."
[60] Palmer holds
a number of team records and three
Pro Bowl selections. The Bengals are 46-51 (.474) with Palmer as starter.
[61] On January 23, 2011,
ESPN reported that Palmer, whose contract runs through 2014, was demanding a
trade from the Bengals and was considering
retirement if this did not occur. Brown has publicly refused the request.
[62]
"Carl Pickens Clause"
 |
| Lee Johnson |
In 1998, the Bengals cut punter
Lee Johnson. Brown attempted to fine Johnson after cutting him for "conduct detrimental to the team" in relation to comments Johnson had made about the organization and the 1998 season. A reporter asked Johnson after a Bengals loss "if you were a fan, would you have come here today?" to which Johnson replied "No, no way...why would you? You're saying (losing) is OK. I guess if you've got nothing else to do. I'd sell my tickets."
[63] This fine resulted in a dispute with the
NFL players union, whose counsel remarked "A fine is a disciplinary measure, you discipline someone to try and make sure they're a better employee in the future. How can you do that if you've fired them?"
[64]
In 2000, the Bengals instituted a "loyalty clause," which allows the Bengals to deny various bonuses to players depending on the remarks they make about the Bengals.
[65] The ability to enact such a clause appears justified under the collective bargaining agreement which states an NFL team can fine a player one week's salary and suspend him without pay for up to four weeks for any action the club considers detrimental to the team.
[66] Brown responded that the clause would only be enacted under extreme circumstances. He wrote an editorial for the
Cincinnati Enquirer, citing team cohesion as his main motivation for the clause.
[67]
It is often dubbed the "
Carl Pickens Clause," stemming from the 2000 offseason. Brown renewed Bruce Coslet's contract despite his 21–36 Bengals record. Pickens responded, "I don't understand it. We're trying to win; we're trying to turn this thing around out there. And they bring (Coslet) back."
[68] Pickens finished his career with the
Tennessee Titans.
Over the years since the clause, Bengals players have commented on a negative atmosphere within the organization, notably
Takeo Spikes,
[69] Jeff Blake[70] and
Jon Kitna.
[71]
The most vocal critic of the Bengals since the clause was instituted was
Corey Dillon.
[72] In 2001, after becoming the sixth player in NFL history to rush for 1,000 yards or more in five consecutive seasons, he remarked "at the end of the season, what do I have to feel good about? Nothing at all. It's not cool." After a fifth losing season with the team in 2002, he remarked ""I'm tired of it, six years of this B.S. I ain't lying to you. I'm sick of this crap, period."
[71] Dillon demanded a trade at the end of 2003 and won a
Super Bowl with the
New England Patriots.
Frugality
In 1994,
agent Leigh Steinberg described Brown as "in a lonely fight for economic rationality in the NFL" and "a Don Quixote-type figure pushing back the forces of salary madness."
[1] Over the years, Brown has proven reluctant to finish free agent signings or trades.
Warren Sapp (in 2004) and
Shaun Rogers (in 2008) are notable recent examples.
Agent
Drew Rosenhaus described it as a "matter of hours" before the Bengals would sign Sapp, only a day before the Raiders signed him.
[73] Sapp accused the Bengals of "playing with the money" on the original deal they offered him, deferring more money to incentives rather than in guarantees.
[74] The
Associated Press reported a completed trade between Cincinnati and the
Detroit Lions on February 29, 2008 for Rogers.
[75] However, the trade fell through and the next day, it was confirmed that the Lions instead traded Rogers to the
Cleveland Browns.
[2]
Fan Response
Organizers from MikeBrownSucks
[76] organized a boycott of a December 2001 regular season game
[77] and fans visiting this site as well as another site, SaveTheBengals.com, have paid for planes to fly a banner in the Cincinnati area calling for Brown's resignation.
[78]
Who Dey Revolution (WDR)
[79] has staged "Project Mayhem" since 2008 in an effort to persuade Brown to make changes to the Bengals. These steps ranged from calling the Bengals "JERK line"
[80] to report Brown's behavior as abusive
[81] to purchasing billboards displaying a request for a General Manager
[82] to merchandise and ticket donations/boycotts
[83] and letter-writing campaigns.
[84] The website's purchase and distribution of 1000
urinal cakes at a Bengals' home game advertised Brown's lifetime regular season record of 98-186-1 to that point.
[85]
WDR publishes a
comic strip titled "The Lost Generation", presenting Mike Brown in a
Charlie Brownesque caricature, presumably to correlate Brown's track record to the famous cartoon character's
history of hard luck and
failure.
[86]
Despite these protests, the Bengals have remained popular within Cincinnati. A November 21, 2010 game vs. the
Buffalo Bills marked the first time since November '03 that
network affiliates and
DirectTV were legally obliged to
"black out" the Bengals game within a 75-mile radius of Paul Brown Stadium for lack of ticket sales. The remaining home games against the
New Orleans Saints,
Cleveland Browns, and
San Diego Chargers were also blacked out.
[87] Prior to this, the team sold out 57 straight games, a club record.
Responses to criticism of Brown
Several people cast Mike Brown sympathetically in response to fan and media criticism. After a surprising upset of the
Kansas City Chiefs in 2003, Marvin Lewis tearfully awarded the game ball to Brown and told his players "he has put up with so much for you guys."
[88] Former Bengals dismiss notions that Brown is unconcerned with winning. Boomer Esiason, now a
CBS analyst, refers to Brown as a "nice man" who is simply over his head running the team.
[89][90] In 1998 interviews, Cris Collinsworth and Bengals radio analyst
Dave Lapham also rejected notions that Brown did not care about winning. Collinsworth remarked "I don't think anybody could be suffering more over this than Mike is."
[47]
Personal life
Brown is considered somewhat reclusive although he occasionally grants interviews, mostly to discuss offseason moves with the Bengals. In 2008, Brown and the Bengals donated $250,000 to assist the Cincinnati Park Board in paying for Cincinnati Riverfront Park.
[91]
To see more of Who Is click here
