Mike Brown attributes the team's record to bad luck. The team drafted Dan Wilkinson with the first pick of the NFL draft in 1994, but he never had an impact with the Bengals and was traded to Washington in 1998. But his playing time has been limited because of injuries. Those things are not ordinary in this league, and we've had a rash of that. He denied, though, that the team suffered because all the profits were paid to him and other shareholders.
Nobody ever feels they have enough money.
And by some standards we were behind. But we did the best we could. Austin Knowlton, of Knowlton Construction in Columbus and the team's other major shareholder, did not respond to requests for an interview. He is today chairman of the Bengals. There's little doubt spending money and winning football go hand in hand.