Ex-Bengal Corey Dillon Blast Team’s Ring of Honor Process

Former NFL running back Corey Dillon wants his name to be remembered more, especially by the Cincinnati Bengals. In a recent interview, Dillon expressed his disappointment at being rejected from both the Bengals’ Ring of Honor and the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

The former running back was especially harsh on the Bengals, where he has never been a strong contender for the recently created Ring of Honor, which is based in part on season ticket holder votes. “It’s damn-near criminal, what (Bengals Ring of Honor voters) are pulling off, to be honest with you,” Dillon told Paul Dehner Jr. of The Athletic.

“Did I not play for them? I don’t know, bro. I’m curious about that. Because it looks like they are glossing over me. For what reason? Because I left? That’s not a good enough reason. You are telling me there’s five other guys better than me — at my position? And trust me, this is no knock on whoever is getting in, who goes in, that’s not what it is about”.

“It’s about what is your excuse going to be? 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 motherf—-er before I do.” Dillon criticized the selection process, claiming that many existing season ticket holders had “never seen half of us play.”

“And that’s garbage. That’s garbage,” Dillon said. “This should be solely predicated on the authorities of the Bengals. The owner. The president. Whatever. There should be a special committee. 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?”

Dillon has statistics. His 8,061 career running yards rank first in Bengals history. He eventually won a Super Bowl with the New England Patriots and concluded his career with 11,241 running yards in 10 seasons. At the very least, the Bengals should acknowledge him.

The Bengals established the Ring of Honor in 2021, and it now has six members. Willie Anderson, the offensive tackle who anchored the offensive lines behind which Dillon ran, is one of them.