Notes: Bengals' Lewis: Snitch 'already gone'

[massie0929]

POSTED 6:19 a.m. EST, March 1, 2006

MARVIN CLAIMS LEAKER IS ALREADY GONE

Several days after vowing to cut the guy who leaked to us in January the fact that Bengals receiver Chad Johnson got physical with receivers coach Hue Jackson and head coach Marvin Lewis during halftime of a playoff loss to Pittsburgh, Lewis says that the guy who leaked the information is already gone.

Hmmm. On Friday, Lewis speaks in terms indicating that a guy who is currently with the team will be cut loose. On Monday, he suggests that the problem has been solved.

"It's already taken care of," Lewis told USA Today on Monday. "He's already gone."

Why the change? Lewis, we believe, realizes that he can't dump a guy for leaking locker room information. The CBA prevents cutting a player for disciplinary reasons (see Quincy Carter), and the Bengals could be forced to pay the player's (players'?) salary for 2006 if Lewis would cut him (them?) for giving info to yours truly regarding Chad's temper tantrum.

So Lewis apparently has decided to pretend that the leaker was a player whose contract has expired. We believe Lewis will now do his Sherlock Holmes routine quietly, and if Lewis ever figures out who blabbed he'll cut the guy without linking him to the leak, in order to avoid a union grievance.

Though we haven't, won't, and never will talk about our unnamed sources, wouldn't it be hilarious if Lewis ultimately concludes that the leak originated with quarterback Carson Palmer?

http://www.profootballtalk.com/rumormill.htm

[HoTbOy]

I say we appoint a special prosecutor because this may be the same leaker that told of Valerie Plame identity and blew her cover first Valerie now Chad...but i thought about Thorton because the guy that runs PFT used to have a link to JTs website and used to write about how him and Thorton were buddys...