FanHouse AJ Nicholson

Cincinnati lies on the Ohio River -- and Kentucky lies on the other side. As far as the Bengals are concerned, they could burn all the bridges that connect the two because nothing good seems to happen when their players hang in the Bluegrass State.

Boone County, KY has seen a lot of the horrors. Yesterday, linebacker Ahmad Brooks was accused of punching a woman there. Cornerback Jonathan Joseph was there when he was picked up for marijuana possession.

Chris Henry lives in Boone County (I pass his house frequently). In his neighborhood, he was accused of punching a 16-year old but the accusations were unfounded. Police also found a stolen car in his driveway ... which was a rental car that had disputed charges on it. All the other stuff he's done has also shed a poor light on his community.

Oh, and Shaun Alexander ... who went to Boone County High School ... now wants to be a Bengal. Why the heck not? Alexander, a born again Christian, would stick out like a sore thumb.

Elsewhere in Northern Kentucky, Chad Johnson is in the middle of a lawsuit over a bogus raffle. It is claimed that Johnson didn't pay up on certain prizes that were raffled off at a comedy club in Newport, KY. Henry also was arrested in Covington, KY for buying alcohol for some underage girls.

Just down the road in Taylor Mill, KY, former Bengal linebacker A.J. Nicholson was arrested for hitting his girlfriend. Former Bengal (and current Brown) Eric Steinbach was picked up for boating under the influence on the Ohio River (which is, in a weird twist, Kentucky property).

Current Bengals Who Have Been in Trouble at Some Point

• Ahmad Brooks: Accused of punching a woman in the face
• Chad Johnson: Sued for his part of an alleged "bogus raffle"
• Dhani Jones: Arrested for "failure to obey a lawful command". He refused police orders to stop dancing in the street outside a South Beach nightclub.
• Jonathan Joseph: Marijuana possession
• Deltha O'Neal: DUI
• Frostee Rucker: Vandalism and spousal battery while in college
• Jason Shirley: Drove drunk and crashed his car into an apartment building while in college

• Chris Henry: Speeding, marijuana possession, driving without a license, waving a gun at people, providing alcohol to minors, misdemeanor assault and property damage. He once was suspended for eight games for violating the NFL's conduct policy.
• Matthias Askew: Arrested (and acquitted) for disorderly conduct, resisting arrest, failure to comply with a police officer's order, obstructing justice
• Reggie McNeal: Drug possession, resisting arrest
• AJ Nicholson: Burglary, grand theft, vandalism, domestic assault
• Eric Steinbach: Boating under the influence of alcohol
• Quincy Wilson: Arrested at a wedding for disorderly conduct
• Odell Thurman: Is coming off a two-year suspension for violating the NFL's conduct policy. He was picked up for a DUI in Ohio. He was also accused of assault in Georgia but the complaint was dropped.

This isn't a post as much as it is a running page to document some of the difficulties this Bengals organization has had.

The linebacker position in Cincinnati has been quite the adventure:

Odell Thurman played well in his rookie season of 2005 ... but has sat out the last two seasons for violating the league's substance abuse policy. David Pollack broke his neck in his second game of his second season and was forced to retire. A.J. Nicholson's career didn't last too long after off-field issues. Ahmad Brooks has barely seen the field due to injuries.

This was a team that had to bring Dhani Jones off the scrap heap ... and he turned into one of their best defensive players. At one point last year, the Bengals couldn't field a linebacking corps at all. Keith Rivers will be a big, big help there.

There have been rumblings that the Bengals could move to the 3-4 defense and Rivers would be a great fit if they do. He has the ability to rush the passer as well as cover backs and tight ends. Right now, the Bengals will have Brooks and Jones seemingly as starters with Thurman, Rashad Jeanty and Eric Henderson as other options.

You know how in the movies the outcast guy finally has enough of the bullying ... gets up, grows some cojones and responds? Next thing you know, chicks dig him? Think Three O'Clock High.

That's how I'm viewing the Cincinnati Bengals right now. Long a franchise that just deals with all the garbage by giving in to the bullies ... the Bengals have finally pushed back.

Today, the Bengals cut Chris Henry after he was arrested for assault and criminal damaging. Now, as Michael David Smith said in his post, it may be two years too late. Still, it is very un-Bengal like to break a talented guy off so quickly after running in with the law. Sure, they did it to A.J. Nicholson last year, but he wasn't a guy that was getting on the field. Henry was.

This comes just days after coach Marvin Lewis told the media that the team will just move on without Chad Johnson. In Cincinnati, that was quite a shot across the bow. Lewis -- publically -- is a guy that doesn't reveal too much. When trouble hits, he essentially just laughs it off telling the media and fans that they don't know anything about the situation and that everything's going to be all right.