Bengals great Corey Dillon says it's 'damn near criminal' he's not in team's Ring of Honor
Corey Dillon is the Bengals' all-time leading rusher
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Corey Dillon is the Cincinnati Bengals' all-time leading rusher, but you may not know it taking a look inside their stadium.
Dillon remains off the team's Ring of Honor, which is voted on by season-ticket holders. The numbers certainly back up that he should be in, but he remains one of 13 nominees this year – voting closed on June 9, and the Bengals have yet to announce the top-two vote getters who will be inducted.
And while nothing is official, Dillon already thinks it's a lock he won't be getting in this year.
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Running back Corey Dillon of the Cincinnati Bengals runs against the Steelers at Heinz Field on Nov. 30, 2003, in Pittsburgh. (George Gojkovich/Getty Images)
"It’s damn near criminal, what [voters] are pulling off, to be honest with you," Dillon told The Athletic in an interview published Thursday.
Dillon hinted that his ugly exit from Cincinnati could be a culprit. After the Bengals drafted him in the second round of the 1997 NFL Draft, they traded him to the New England Patriots in 2004, and he immediately won a Super Bowl after setting career-highs in rushing yards (1,625) and rushing touchdowns (12).
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}However, he says it should be solely based on his accomplishments in Cincy.
"Did I not play for them? I don’t know, bro. I’m curious about that. Because it looks like they are glossing over me. For what reason? Because I left? That’s not a good enough reason. You are telling me there’s five other guys better than me – at my position? And trust me, this is no knock on whoever is getting in, who goes in, that’s not what it is about. It’s about what is your excuse going to be? I’m pretty sure they will put f---ing Jon Kitna in there before they put me. Matter of fact, Scott Mitchell will end up in that motherf---er before I do.
"And that’s garbage," he continued. "That’s garbage. This should be solely predicated on the authorities of the Bengals. The owner. The president. Whatever. There should be a special committee. This ain’t a popularity contest. This is football. You are going to put in somebody who is more popular than somebody who got stats?"
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Corey Dillon before the Ravens game on Nov. 2, 2002, in Baltimore, Maryland. (Mitchell Layton/Getty Images)
"I want it all. I am coming for it all. You know why? Because I earned it. I’m not one of these borderline guys sitting on my ass reminiscing, talking about, ‘Oh, if I had this, shoulda, coulda, woulda.’ No. I’m justified."
Dillon says it's certainly not for any off-the-field issues, because "there are a lot of Hall of Famers that did far more worse s--- than I did."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"We can cancel out that excuse. There is no excuse for that. On top of that, I thought the game was predicated on numbers. Are people looking at the numbers like, ‘Nah, nah’? I don’t think so," he told the outlet.
Corey Dillon of the Cincinnati Bengals during the 2000 season. (Allen Kee/Getty Images)
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The Bengals began their Ring of Honor in 2021, and just six players (Ken Riley, Anthony Munoz, Paul Brown, Ken Anderson, Isaac Curtis and Willie Anderson) hold the honor.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Dillon rushed for 8,061 yards in his tenure with the Bengals. James Brooks is the other former running back nominated – from 1984 to 1991, he put up 6,447 rushing yards.
Hall of Famers are automatically inducted into the Ring of Honor, but that's an outside shot for Dillon, who's been eligible for Canton since 2011 and is still not in.