Former Bengals cornerback rips the team and its fans

William Jackson is no longer a member of the Cincinnati Bengals, but he still took an opportunity to rip the team and its fans.

After spending his first five NFL seasons with the Cincinnati Bengals, cornerback William Jackson signed a three-year, $42 million deal with the Washington Football Team this offseason.

So bygones might just be bygones for both sides, as the Bengals were again not particularly good during Jackson’s tenure in Cincinnati and he was not especially productive (three interceptions).

Speaking to 106.7 The Fan in Washington on Wednesday, Jackson was asked about the reception he has received from new fans upon signing. He didn’t seem to be really prompted to talk about the situation he left in Cincinnati, but Jackson decided to take a shot at the Bengals and their fans anyway.

William Jackson is pretty sour on the Bengals

"Cincinnati, they got some crude fans, man. Misery loves company,” Jackson said with a laugh. “Them dudes, they wonder why they’re not winning. I’m happy I’m out of that thing man. It’s a blessing to get away and I wish them the best, but Washington let’s go from here.”"

Instead of paying to keep Jackson, a first-round pick in 2016, the Bengals signed two comparable cornerbacks from outside the organization in free agency (Mike Hilton and Chidobe Awuzie) for practically the same total money. So that looks smart, and Jackson sounds ready for a fresh start. Hilton and Awuzie were also signed before Jackson had a deal with Washington. That’s what’s called writing on the wall, whether Jackson liked it or not.

The Bengals are a notoriously stingy organization in some aspects, so criticism of the way they do things is certainly warranted in the right light. But why Jackson felt the need to rip the team and its fans on his way out, even in the more casual environment of a radio appearance, is unclear.