This time the Bengals have gone too far.
Over and over, the Bengals have drafted, signed and stood by players with troubled legal backgrounds or other concerns that make them less-than-stellar role models.
But the Bengals drafting Oklahoma running back Joe Mixon -- on top of the team's tacit support of Adam Jones -- is disgraceful.
Mixon punched a woman in 2014, shattering four bones in her face. He entered a plea that allowed him to maintain his innocence while admitting that the prosecution had enough evidence to convict him.
But maybe that was a one-time mistake?
Maybe... except then last fall he was suspended for a game by Oklahoma after a dispute with a parking attendant.
“Don't put that s--- in my face,” Mixon told the parking attendant according to an incident report.
He then ripped the citation in half and threw it at the parking attendant, hitting the attendant in the face.
He got into his vehicle and “inched at the officer with the vehicle in drive to intimidate the officer,” according to the report.
Sounds like a stand-up guy.
Here's the thing though. Mixon is a talented running back. He gained more than 1,800 yards from scrimmage and scored 15 touchdowns last year. Many draft experts ranked Mixon as the second most talented running back in this year's draft.
Think Mixon's talent means he should get a second chance? Still thinking about buying a Joe Mixon jersey or cheering him at a game this season?
Watch this video of the 2014 incident. WARNING this video is graphic.
There's absolutely no excuse for Mixon's action. He is a muscular, 200-plus-pound college athlete.
Even Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops admitted after he saw the video last December that suspending Mixon for an entire season was not enough punishment.
But apparently the Bengals don't care.
Drafting Mixon shows that at least one team -- our hometown team -- has learned nothing from the Ray Rice incident.
A man hitting a woman is not OK. Drafting Mixon says the Bengals think it is.
The Bengals can't control how a player acts. But they can control how the organization handles incidents' like Adam Jones' arrest. The team can control the types of players it signs, drafts and trades for.
Apparently, Mike Brown, Marvin Lewis and the Bengals management think winning is all that matters. Apparently, those franchise leaders don't care about potentially alienating the team's female fans.
It's time we as fans tried to teach this team a lesson. We say tried because at this point, we have to wonder if the leaders of this team will EVER get it.
Maybe the only way is through the Bengals' pocketbook.
We are urging every Bengals fan to take drastic action.
Instead of buying a Bengals ticket this year, take the $50 or more you would have spent on that ticket and donate the money to a nonprofit that works to prevent violence against women. We have included a list of organizations below.
Enough is enough, Bengals. We can excuse another season without winning a playoff game.
We can't excuse drafting a player like Joe Mixon.
Organizations helping women who deal with violence
