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Toxic Culture Key Reason Why 2000s Bengals Struggled, Says T.J. Houshmandzadeh

How does a Cincinnati Bengals team with real talent, T.J. Houshmandzadeh and Chad Johnson at wide receiver, Rudi Johnson at running back, and Carson Palmer at quarterback, so consistently underachieve? A terrible culture is how. That’s essentially what Houshmandzadeh blamed the Bengals’ lack of success during his era on, outlining the reasons in a recent interview.

“You really delve into the ‘Why weren’t we good?'” Houshmandzadeh said on the NFL Players Second Acts podcast. “It’s the off the field. It’s the lack of discipline. It’s the complete lack of respect and structure of the guys on the team…We did what we wanted to do.