It is okay to pull the stunts he pulled and run your mouth like he did while in Cincy b/c the team was showing no dedication to winning? I disagree. Some guys have class and maturity... others do not. Some guys are team players... others are not. Regardless of their skill it does not make it okay to behave in certain immature ways. As a matter of fact he showed some immaturity and a lack of class in only his second season (2005) in NE when injuries limited his playing. New team, a winner and a SB champ in his 1st season there, but same ol' same ol' from the player in year 2.
I have to ask... would Corey Dillon be mentioned as a possible Hall-of-Famer without the Bengals? A team that gave him a shot to be the guy. A guy who took that opportunity and proved himself in that 1/2 of a season as a rookie. A team that took him as the 43rd pick in the 2nd round when a lot of teams did not want the risk of a troubled youth. I think the guy owes the Bengals franchise a sincere thank you for giving him a shot that many teams did not risk. He also owes some linemen (like Willie Anderson who he ripped) a sincere thank you for blocking... he was not a Payton or Sayers that did a lot on their own. He could of gotten the trade to NE without the words and the uniform tossing... but he showed his immaturity, ego and lack of class by doing it his way.
I must give him credit today. He is bailing out again, but doing it in a more mature way. Perhaps he is smart enough to realize that doing it a non-classy way twice might be too much for a lot of teams.
His years in Cincy were not wasted. Just like Ernie Banks did not have wasted years in Chicago. There are many great players (Dan Marino) who did not get a ring. That does not equate to a waste. Some should look in a mirror (Corey) and realize that those teams gave them an opportunity that might not have presented itself elsewhere. No Cincy, maybe not Hall consideration for Dillon. Not something that can ever be proven, but something that can definitely be argued.