Corey Dillon was one of the top running backs in the NFL during his time with the Cincinnati Bengals. He is still the franchise’s rushing leader in most of the major categories, yet he finds himself on the outside looking in when it comes to the team’s ring of honor. And he’s not happy about it at all.
Corey Dillon Voices Displeasure With Bengals Ring Of Honor
Former NFL RB Corey Dillon has some candid thoughts about his omission from the Bengals’ Ring of Honor and his candidacy for the Pro Football Hall of Fame. https://t.co/EAvDZJDudT
— ProFootballTalk (@ProFootballTalk) July 6, 2023
Dillon hasn’t played in the NFL since 2006. He spent the final three years of his career with the New England Patriots, winning a championship in 2005 and cementing his legacy by rushing for over 1,600 yards that season. He was a piece that Bill Belichick and company needed, as they leaned on Dillon and the running game heavily in their pursuit of a ring that year.
But he was acquired from the Bengals in a trade that was unceremonious for the fans in Cincinnati. His tenure with the team can be described as rocky or up-and-down, and there was a shadow cast by his domestic violence arrest in 2000. There was certainly bad blood between the two sides after the breakup.
In a recent interview with The Athletic, Dillon voiced his displeasure with the voting process for the ring of honor that pays homage to the best players in the history of the franchise. The players who receive the honor do so by winning a vote that is cast by the season ticket and suite holders, and Dillon thinks that its the wrong way to go about things:
“This ain’t a popularity contest. This is football. You are going to put in somebody who is more popular than somebody who got stats?…Bengals are smart. I give it to them. We will put it in the hands of the season-ticket holders, so they don’t have to take that backlash over who the voters are picking. That’s bulls—. The s— should come straight from the team. Half these season-ticket holder people never seen half of us play.”
He has a point. Corey Dillon is Cincinnati’s leader in career rushing yards by a long shot, with his 8,061 being over 1,500 more than the second highest (James Brooks). But, the Bengal’s ring of honor has only been around since 2021, and Dillon perhaps just hasn’t gotten the chance yet.
Throwback: #Bengals‘ Corey Dillon breaks the single game rushing recordpic.twitter.com/HJLPHohRTr
— 𝗕𝗲𝗻𝗴𝗮𝗹𝘀𝗖𝗮𝗽𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗻 (@BengalsCaptain) July 6, 2023
The only players that have been given the honor so far are Ken Anderson, Willie Anderson, Anthony Munoz, Ken Riley, Isaac Curtis, and Paul Brown. But Dillon believes he’ll be left off in favor of some other names:
“I’m pretty sure they will put f—ing Jon Kitna in there before they put me. Matter of fact, Scott Mitchell will end up in that m—–f—er before I do.”
The Bengals opened the voting on their website just this week.
NFL Betting Guides You May Like
- Best NFL Betting Sites Sites 2024 – Discover Top-rated Football Sportsbooks Ranked & Reviewed.
- Live Betting NFL Guide – Compare The Best NFL Live Betting Sites for 2024.
- Best NFL Betting Apps 2024 – List of Top Football Betting Apps in US.
- Best Offshore Betting Sites Review – Compare Best Offshore Sports Betting Sites.
- Best Online Gambling Sites 2024 – Best Gambling Sites in USA Ranked & Reviewed.
Add Sportslens to your Google News Feed!
