Cincinnati Bengals owner regrets giving QB Joe Burrow an order that fell on deaf ears anyway

As the team's owner/president, Mike Brown is pretty hands off when it comes to operating the Cincinnati Bengals from the very top. But that didn't stop him from having a chat with franchise quarterback Joe Burrow last season.

Leading up to the team's Week 3 game, a Monday Night Football matchup against the Los Angeles Rams, Brown summoned Burrow on his golf cart during a team practice and talked with his QB before letting him get back to stretching.

The message Brown delivered was simple, and it's one that he regrets nearly a year later.

At the club's annual media luncheon to kick off training camp, Brown revealed that he called Burrow over to tell him he would not play in that game. Burrow was dealing with a calf strain at the time and appeared to re-aggravate his injury during the previous week.

Brown took it upon himself, with his authority, to tell Burrow what was what.

"I was convinced he shouldn't play, and he looked like he wanted to play in that game, and I went out there to tell him he wasn't going to play," Brown recounted. "I was going to make sure he wasn't going to play, where upon he played. That's all that happened. I still feel a little bit shame-faced about it."

Burrow did play, and played well enough while injured for the Bengals to get their first win of the season. The decision ultimately wasn't Brown's to make because of the organizational structure he and his family have put in place. Football operations in the season are ran by the coaching staff, and it was them whom listened to Burrow and trusted he'd be okay to go out there.

Behind Brown's regret is that laissez-faire attitude he betrayed.

"I try to stay away enough that I don't get in the way," Brown said. "I don't want to be a problem for the coaches on that particular in that particular moment. I overstepped and did a dumb thing."

This level of self-reflection in a public setting is pretty uncommon for someone in Brown's position. The NFL has a collection of outspoken owners who are extremely self-involved with how their team operates on all levels, including important decisions like playing the injured quarterback or not.

Brown is not that kind of owner at his age of 88. The team doesn't even list him as the owner, rather the "President" instead. His love for being around the team at practices and non-game day settings hasn't dwindled despite his desire to delegate. He's also on the same page with everyone else about Ja'Marr Chase .

Even though he's technically his boss, Brown learned why trusting Burrow is usually the smart thing to do.

Related: Bengals QB Joe Burrow receives perfect motivation from rival AFC coach as NFL training camps get underway