Lewis: Bengals will not trade Chad

By Mark Curnutte
mcurnutte@enquirer.com

In his strongest statements to date about Chad Johnson, Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis this afternoon said that the team will not trade the star wide receiver and has never even discussed it.

"No. 1, the guy has a contract through 2011, OK," Lewis said in an interview with The Enquirer and the team Web site. "No one within the Bengals organization has ever spoken of or ever uttered anything about trading Chad Johnson, nor will he be traded.

"There is no such thing as behind-the-door dealings in the NFL. That does not occur because the team in question (the Bengals) is not willing to trade their player nor have they thought about trading their player or discussed trading their player, or will they discuss trading their player. So I think that’s pretty clear. Things can move on.

"Our player (Johnson), we know is very passionate about the game. He continues to play at a very, very high level. He has been very, very productive. He has been well-compensated and, unfortunately … "

In the past month, Johnson has used the bully pulpit of the national media – primarily radio and the NFL’s own television channel, NFL Network – to criticize the Bengals and express his desire to play elsewhere. At one point, Johnson said Lewis stopped talking to him at mid-season.
Lewis said this afternoon that he has not spoken to Johnson since the final regular-season game Dec. 30 at Miami.

"People (in the building) talk to him," Lewis said. "It's unfortunate for Chad that he is being cast in this light because it’s not fair. So once again I will go on record in defense of him."

The Washington Post reported Tuesday that the Redskins were interested in trading for Johnson because team owner Daniel Snyder wants an elite receiver. The NFL Players Association confirmed Tuesday what The Enquirer had reported a week ago, that the Bengals would take an $8.03 million salary cap hit if they traded or released Johnson before June 1.
Lewis is confidence Johnson can return to the Bengals and fit in with his teammates.

"We've had a great relationship," Lewis said of Johnson and the Bengals. "All I want to see is Chad continue to be a very, very productive NFL player and help us win a lot of football games. And that’s not going to change.

"I think everybody in the NFL realizes, unfortunately, that contracts can be a very big part of what the game is all about. What you have to do as a football team is put some of that aside and not really worry about that and go back to work and work as a football team. That happens (across the league)."

Lewis referenced the New York Giants, winners of Super Bowl XLII, though one of their top defensive players, end Michael Strahan, threatened to retire during training camp in a contract squabble.

"He came back, he didn't get paid any more money, and he just played," Lewis said of Strahan.