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One of the biggest gripes amongst Bengals fans about the team's front office over the years is their penchant to not recognize some of their past greats. The organization has been making strides in many areas in recent years and they have done a better job of embracing their past. An example of this will be seen new week.
When the Bengals return home from their jaunt to the West (Best) Coast this weekend and host the Indianapolis Colts, they will be honoring former cornerback great, Ken Riley. The ceremony's timing makes sense, as Riley has recently been profiled in Sam Freedman's book, "Breaking The Line". The book centers around the civil rights movement in the 1960s and some of the players at Florida A&M.
According to Geoff Hobson of Bengals.com, Riley will have a busy week:
After joining Freedman, Marvin Lewis and Freedom Center executive director C.G. Newsome for a panel discussion Thursday night, Riley goes to midfield Sunday for the coin flip as an honorary captain.
Though it isn't the extent of retiring a player's jersey, it is a nice gesture by the club. Recognizing the achievements of former players is a duty of an NFL franchise and it's great to see them doing so. They will continue their recent trend of bringing back some familiar faces with Riley.