The game and the business of the nfl has passed Mike Brown. His “family business” model, and all the small ball strategy that entails, is truly and irrefutably obsolete.
An off field move that screams this to me is Mike being the lone vote against allowing private equity interests to buy into NFL teams. The other owners see a cash infusion they can use to expand and get better. Mike just sees interference in the 60s/70s business techniques he uses to run the organization.
He’s not only completely blowing it when it comes to the Bengals, he’s absolutely positively making a huge error when it comes to his family fortune. It’s insane to have several billion dollars wrapped up in one business and own almost nothing else.
In a very quiet and understated way, Mike is an egomaniac who listens to almost no one, and cannot accept that his own ideas and methods need changed.