A Fan’s Note

If the Cincinnati Bengals defeat the Houston Texans this Sunday, the Bengals will be 4-0 for the first time since 1988.

Some of you may remember that the Bengals finished that season 12-4 and represented the AFC in Super Bowl XXIII.

The Bengals would lose to the San Francisco 49ers 20-16 in what many people consider one of the greatest Super Bowls ever.

But how many of you remember the Bengals’ fullback Stanley Wilson?

Wilson was a star running back at Oklahoma and is still listed as the fourth all-time rusher for the Sooners with 2,993 yards.

In 1983, the Bengals selected Wilson in the ninth round of the NFL draft.

Over the years, Wilson worked hard and slowly earned more playing time on the field.

All of the hard work culminated in 1988, when Wilson carried the ball 112 times for 398 yards, both career highs.

Wilson scored two touchdowns against the Seattle Seahawks in a playoff game in 1988 to help the Bengals win the AFC.

Then came the night before Super Bowl XXIII, the night Wilson’s world fell apart.

Wilson went on a cocaine binge that night and did not play in the Super Bowl.

Wilson would never play in the NFL again.

In 1999, Wilson was arrested for stealing property from a home in Beverly Hills, Calif.

Wilson said he needed the money to buy drugs. It was his third felony.

Although Wilson never played professional baseball, he soon learned what it meant to have three strikes against you.

Wilson was sentenced to 22 years in prison.

Maybe the Bengals would have lost the Super Bowl anyway, but there is no doubt that Wilson abandoned his team when they needed him the most.

And that, more than anything else, is why Wilson never played in the NFL again.

Who wants someone like that on their team?

I doubt the Bengals are going to make it to the Super Bowl this year, but if they do, let’s just hope none of their players succumb to the pressure and lock themselves in a motel room with a bag full of coke.

Posted by Colonnade Archives on Sep 30 2005. Filed under Sports. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry