Cincinnati Bengals Football Team

Attorneys for a Spokane, Wash., woman on Tuesday released the names of 20 current and former Cincinnati Bengals accused in a civil lawsuit of raping her or standing by while she was assaulted nearly two years ago. The complaint says the plaintiff, identified only as Victoria C and described as a 98-pound mother of four, "was brutally and sadistically raped . . . over two hours, by 13 to 15 Bengal players who were two to three times her size, on the 'team floor' " in a hotel on Oct. 3, 1990.

Tonight's game between the Cincinnati Bengals and the New York Jets is more than a showdown between traditional AFC strugglers who suddenly have the playoffs within reach, more even than two former USC stars going toe to toe. It's a quarterback versus his ball boy. That's right, Jets rookie Mark Sanchez was a ball boy at Santa Margarita High in Mission Viejo when Palmer was the starting quarterback. The two wound up playing for the Trojans, and both were first-round picks: Palmer No. 1 overall in 2003, and Sanchez fifth in April.

A woman who alleges she was gang-raped at a Seattle hotel in 1990 has sued the Cincinnati Bengals and 15 unidentified players. The woman alleges that she was repeatedly raped by the football players for two hours while as many as 20 people watched. Richard Eymann, a Spokane attorney representing the woman, said the suit was filed in King County Superior Court in Seattle. The civil lawsuit asks for unspecified damages for the woman's emotional and physical suffering.

Cincinnati quarterback Carson Palmer doesn't love Wednesdays. They're to be tolerated, not enjoyed. That's the day the Bengals -- like players from the 31 other NFL teams -- put in some of their most rigorous work of the week. It isn't only on the field, but trudging from meeting to meeting to meeting, studying tape of the upcoming opponent, working on their own deficiencies, doing all the mundane things that wind up making a difference on Sundays. Somehow, Palmer's Wednesdays aren't such a grind this season.

Fullback Ickey Woods of the Cincinnati Bengals crossed the goal line and broke into the Ickey Shuffle. A folk hero bedecked in a ponytail and gold jewelry, he danced his way to Super Bowl XXIII and into the American consciousness. Fullback Eric Ball of the Cincinnati Bengals crossed the goal line and handed the ball to the referee. He went over to thank the offensive linemen and trotted to the sideline to catch his breath. Ball may run as well as Woods, but he doesn't try to shuffle.

Boomer Esiason of the Cincinnati Bengals, the blond quarterback who stands 6 feet 5 inches and weighs more than 225 pounds, is one of the largest successful southpaws the world has known. Joe Montana of the San Francisco 49ers, who has trouble keeping 190 pounds on a frame that spans only 6 feet 2 inches, is one of the finest finesse passers in National Football League history.

New York Giant linebacker Carl Banks said that a family dispute that led to his arrest was a minor problem that was blown out of proportion. Banks was arrested around 10:15 a.m. Tuesday and charged with criminal mischief under the Domestic Violence Act, said Watchung, N.J., police Lt. Robert Reilly. Referee Tom Dooley and his crew reportedly were reprimanded by the NFL for failing to penalize the Cincinnati Bengals for an illegal substitution Nov. 18 against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

All week long, Reggie Williams of the Cincinnati Bengals has been thinking about the bills. Finance bills. Gun control bills. Tax bills. But what about the Buffalo Bills? Oh yeah, them too. Williams, you see, has the most intriguing dual life this side of Clark Kent. He is the world's only city councilman-outside linebacker. Compared to Williams, Bo Jackson is a couch potato. Even Bo hasn't attempted two careers at the same time.

They tell the story of the first time Anthony Munoz appeared in an offensive line for the USC Trojans and an opposing end called time and trotted over to the bench. "What's the matter?" the coach wanted to know. "I got the wrong implements for this guy," the player said. "If you want me to cut this down, you've got to give me an ax or a chain saw." Another player is supposed to have told USC's Marv Goux, "OK, I'll play him.

The name is Shula, as in coaching dean Don Shula. Now it also means the youngest coach in the NFL and sets the stage for the NFL's first father-son matchup the next time the Cincinnati Bengals play the Miami Dolphins. The Bengals on Friday chose David Shula as their new coach, making Don Shula's 32-year-old son the youngest coach in league history. Shula succeeds Sam Wyche, whose eight-year tenure ended Tuesday.

CINCINNATI -- Thirty-five minutes after workouts are finished -- and the vast majority of his teammates have departed the Cincinnati Bengals practice field -- Carson Palmer continues throwing to his young receivers. They're rookies, so, at times, Palmer actually must coach them. Here's how you run a route, he might say. Here's how you catch the pass I'm throwing. Here's how we do things in Cincinnati. Across the field, Jordan Palmer is working just as hard.

It took 15 years for Cincinnati to get back to the NFL playoffs, yet the Bengals didn't last 15 minutes Sunday before encountering a crippling setback. Pro Bowl quarterback Carson Palmer, shouldering the Super Bowl dreams of a downtrodden franchise, suffered a serious knee injury on his first pass in a 31-17 wild-card loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers at Paul Brown Stadium.

It wasn't just a bad haircut. It was the worst worn by any Cincinnati sports star this side of Pete Rose. Bengal quarterback Carson Palmer, a guy with leading-man looks, returned to training camp this summer after a two-day break and was sporting a sue-your-barber buzz cut. Turns out, Palmer cut it himself. "I'm cheap," he said with a smile. He's also staggeringly rich, especially after signing a six-year contract extension worth $118.

The locker room was strangely subdued as Cincinnati players quietly peeled off adhesive tape, packed up equipment and dressed. The Bengals acted like experienced winners on Sunday. They played like them too. Carson Palmer threw two touchdown passes and the Bengals opened a season they're confident will be a winning one with a 27-13 victory over Cleveland, spoiling Romeo Crennel's coaching debut with the Browns. "It's a huge win for us," Palmer said.

Carson Palmer did not play a single down as a rookie but he must have done enough to impress Cincinnati Coach Marvin Lewis, who promoted the former USC star and 2002 Heisman Trophy winner to the starting quarterback's job entering the 2004 season. In replacing Jon Kitna, the NFL's comeback player of the year and the only quarterback in the league to take every snap for his team in 2003, Palmer will take over a team that remained in playoff contention until the season's final week.

A dozen quarterbacks came before him, but none of them took Carson Palmer's path. With three games to play, Cincinnati's Palmer is poised to become the first quarterback selected No. 1 overall to go his entire rookie season without taking a snap. The other passers picked first since the 1970 merger were, in descending order, David Carr, Michael Vick, Tim Couch, Peyton Manning, Drew Bledsoe, Jeff George, Troy Aikman, Vinny Testaverde, John Elway, Steve Bartkowski, Jim Plunkett and Terry Bradshaw.

Jay Schroeder spent this Thanksgiving far removed from his former home in California. He spent it far removed from his role as the Raiders' starting quarterback. He is a reserve for the Cincinnati Bengals. But Schroeder could not be happier spending the holiday at his temporary residence in northern Kentucky, eating a traditional dinner with his wife, Debbie, and sons Brian, 9, and Chris, 6. A week ago, Schroeder wondered whether such an experience was possible.

Dennis Weathersby, the Oregon State cornerback who eight days earlier was considered a potential first-round draft pick, was grateful Sunday that the Cincinnati Bengals are giving him a chance. "I'm going to take advantage of my opportunities," said Weathersby, recovering at home in Duarte from a gunshot wound he suffered in a drive-by shooting on Easter. "You never know, the next day is not a given."

Seven years ago, the owner of the Cincinnati Bengals told fans he needed a new stadium -- full of money-making luxury boxes -- to field a competitive football team. They voted to hike the sales tax to finance a $458-million stadium of soaring steel on the Ohio River. The Bengals are still the worst team in football. And now county commissioner Todd Portune wants the taxpayers' money back.