Bengals' ownership family continues longstanding tradition as NFL passes new private equity rule

Whenever the NFL wants something to change, the Cincinnati Bengals want the opposite.

Outside of passing the hip-drop tackle ban this year , the Bengals have notoriously been on their own on many occasions in voting no towards league-wide changes enacted by club owners.

The NFL's new private equity rule is just the latest example.

31 owners around the league passes a new rule that allows private equity funds a limited investment in clubs. The maximum ownership allowed per fund is 10%.

The Bengals, according to Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio , were the lone team to vote against the change, matching their history in these situations.

"Per multiple reports, the Bengals cast the lone dissenting vote. Although Katie Blackburn technically pulled the “no” lever, it continues a trend started by her father, Mike Brown. As one source with knowledge of the dynamics remarked, the Bengals consistently oppose anything that contributes to modernizing the league’s financial infrastructure." - PFT's Mike Florio

Outside of conducting the usual "no" vote, it makes sense why the Bengals would be against this new rule. The Brown family is the Bengals, and the family has been the controlling owners for 30 years. A rule like this passing could lead to ownership dramatically in the future, especially for clubs that are run by founding families who make their money purely off of football, just like the Bengals.

"Given that each fund can own up to 10 percent of one team and that each fund can own pieces of up to six teams, there could be one fund (in theory) with the equivalent of 60 percent of one team. Which could make it easier for the league to justify an eventual push to allow institutional or corporate money to buy franchises that currently operate like family-owned food trucks." - PFT's Mike Florio

The NFL wants to add more financial infrastructure, and the Bengals want things to remain the same. It's as simple as that.

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