CINCINNATI — The Bengals are calling for Hamilton County Prosecutor Connie Pillich to take back her comments questioning whether the team is negotiating with the county "in good faith."
In a letter, Bengals in-house counsel Emma L. Compton said the team's conduct over the last few years has "shown a clear commitment" to negotiating a long-term deal with the county despite Pillich questioning their efforts.
"Indeed, the team has never shown anything but good faith in its discussions with the county," the letter says, citing the Bengals' work with the county to construct the Brady Music Center, Black Music Walk of Fame and extend the deadline to acquire the Hilltop property next door as proof of its commitment.
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While Pillich did not use those words directly in the commissioner's meeting or during a 1-on-1 with the WCPO 9 I-Team, she has criticized the slow pace of negotiations and the Bengals' statements regarding lead negotiator David Abrams.
"Our interest is in what the team says at the negotiating table, not in the media," Pillich said in a statement last week.
The county previously announced it was shuffling its lineup of lawyers handling lease negotiations with the Bengals and Reds. The decision came after Pillich urged county commissioners to replace Tom Gableman and Frost Brown Todd with attorneys from two other firms: Dinsmore and Vorys.
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In their letter, the Bengals say Gableman "has spent more time at the negotiating table with the team than anyone at the county" and confirmed they are working in good faith.
Gabelman released a lengthy statement on May 16 asserting "ongoing progress" toward a "comprehensive long term agreement" with the Bengals.
"Working with the County Prosecutor’s Office, we have been in active, daily negotiations with the Bengals regarding a comprehensive agreement and were ahead of schedule to complete a County-Bengals Term Sheet by the June 1, 2025, deadline," Gabelman wrote.
But Pillich said last week she met with each of the county's commissioners, who discussed their "frustration" with Gableman and their communication with their legal counsel. She told our WCPO 9 I-Team she believes the new team will advance negotiations — not slow them down.
"So as far as how the negotiations are going, I think we are ... in a great, a very strong position to move forward," Pillich said.
The team also says comments claiming the Bengals refuse to meet with the county's outside consulting firm, Inner Circle Sports, are "plainly false." The Bengals said team representatives have engaged with ICS "for several months," but when the county recently asked ownership to meet with ICS, they denied the request "after the team discovered that ICS also served as a stadium consultant for the Cleveland Browns."
Pillich said in an interview on "The Bill Cunningham Show" on 700WLW that the Bengals "may have been misled with their so-called research." She said one former member of ICS has done work with the Browns but is no longer with the company.
"The man that we're working with, David Abrams, has not done any work with the Cleveland Browns, but I do appreciate the Bengals trying to look out for us in their own way," Pillich said.
During her interview with the I-Team and on WLW, Pillich reiterated that the county is intent on getting a deal done — one that will be best for Hamilton County.
"The Bengals can't tell us who we hire to conduct the negotiations," Pillich told us. "And the fact that we hired a bulldog to do it tells me that we did the right thing."
We reached out to Pillich, who said, "I won't trade barbs with the Bengals. Let's just get the deal done."
You can read the Bengals' entire letter below:
