There's a narrative that the Cincinnati Bengals are one of the cheapest teams in the league. Franchise legend Boomer Esiason did not help dissuade that narrative on Friday.
On his radio show, WFAN's "Boomer and Gio" with co-host Gregg Giannotti, Esiason went in-depth on the accommodations — or lack thereof — that the team is offering for the former quarterback to attend an event for the Bengals Ring of Honor in October.
The event, which will honor former Bengals offensive lineman Dave Lapham and cornerback Lemar Parrish as part of the Class of 2025, will take place at the home game against the New York Jets on Oct. 26. Lapham and Parrish will bring the total number of honorees to 12.
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Esiason, the 1988 NFL MVP who spent most of his career with Cincinnati, was inducted into the Ring of Honor in 2023. As a result, he was invited to the game against the Jets along with the other inductees to celebrate the newest members.
But Esiason seemed unsure about the invite: "I don't know how to take this invite, that's the thing," he said on the show.
As Esiason read the Bengals' email about accommodations out loud on the show, it became quickly clear why.
As part of the invite, Esiason gets two complimentary tickets for the game, plus the option to buy another ticket. But rather than pay for Esiason's travel and lodging, like might be expected, the team said that it was paying for a block of rooms at the Renaissance Hotel in Cincinnati, and that Esiason could stay there for a "preferred, discounted rate."
Esiason had to RSVP by Friday in order to "guarantee" his seats for the game. The former quarterback added later that he believed he was expected to pay for his flight as well.
Giannotti, though initially confused about Esiason's skepticism, grew less and less on board with the offer. By the time Esiason got to the end of the email, which ended with "Thank you and Who Dey" (the Bengals' chant), Giannotti was baffled.
"Who Dey think they are, making you pay for your own hotel room?" Giannotti quipped.
Esiason asked if he was "elitist" to say no to that offer, but Giannotti quickly took his side.
"Your name is on the stadium," Giannotti said, later adding, "I'm sorry, but for an NFL franchise, that's embarrassing."
In the past, the Bengals have built up a reputation for being cheap, both in terms of player contracts and investing in facilities. Cincinnati was vastly improved in this year's NFLPA report card for some of those categories, including a third-place finish for locker rooms and a 10th-place finish for team travel. But the team still scored low in terms of meals and dining, and earned an F- for treatment of families — making the lackluster offer for accommodations a little bit less of a surprise.
It is unclear whether Esiason will end up accepting the offer, but the former quarterback and current New York resident did crack a joke about a radical solution to make it to Ohio.
"Maybe I could fly out with the Jets, come back with the Jets," Esiason joked. "Maybe [Jets head coach] Aaron Glenn would let me tag along."
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