The Cincinnati Bengals have a reputation as one of the stingiest teams in the league when it comes to paying their players. That has been seemingly proved true this offseason, as the franchise has been involved in a very public contract dispute with star pass rusher Trey Hendrickson, who led the NFL in sacks last season.
Hendrickson initially made the decision to hold out of training camp until a deal got done.
“EXCLUSIVE: Just spoke to Bengals pass rusher Trey Hendrickson, who is currently in Jacksonville, FL. For the last 30 days, he had been at his home in Cincinnati and training. But as training camp approached, he and his wife decided to leave,” reported Diana Russini.
“They received two offers in a 24-hour span, none containing the guarantees past the first year he was looking for. Hendrickson didn’t want to hear the practice whistles while being a distraction to his teammates, so he and his wife Alisa decided to pack up and head to Florida. Down in Jacksonville, Hendrickson continues to train, hoping that a deal can be worked out.”
Hendrickson then changed his mind and decided to report.
“Bengals DE Trey Hendrickson plans to end his holdout and report to training camp Wednesday, sources tell me and (Ian Rapoport). The NFL sack leader doesn’t have a new deal yet and it seems unlikely he’ll practice until he does. But talks continue and now he’s back in the building,” reported NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero.
However, Hendrickson made it clear that things still aren’t great between the team and he on Monday.
“Things are exactly the same,” Hendrickson said in a video shared by Marshall Kramsky of WCPO. “What I’m not going to do, is as best I can do, avoid being a distraction. I want to help the guys.”
About Qwame Skinner
Qwame Skinner has loved both writing and sports his entire life. In addition to his sports coverage at Comeback Media, Qwame writes novels, and his debut; The First Casualty, an adult fantasy, is out now.