The big news for the Cincinnati Bengals this year is that they signed Terrell Owens, the guy that every team considers hiring, but nobody wants to touch. Owens, playing alongside Chad Ochocinco (Johnson), promises to be one of the more intriguing receiver combos in America this year.

One of the smaller stories of the Bengals is the fact that they had another receiver by the name of Antonio Bryant who'd just signed a four-year, $28 million deal, with $8 million in guaranteed money. This week, the Bengals cut Bryant, causing the team to drop the signing bonus they paid him. In other words, the Bengals gave away $8 million by cutting one of their most financially coveted athletic assets.

In spite of the fact that you might suspect that Bryant was cut for doing something stupid or being a lazy player, this was not the case. He was cut because he has a problem with his knee. Some of the cartilage is torn, requiring surgery. The most interesting thing is that any careful examination of the knee would have revealed the problem before Bryant signed his contract.

This puts the Bengals organization on edge, given that their owner, Mike Brown, is known for being frugal. But taking risks on athletes like Terrell Owens and Chad Johnson show that he's willing to take a chance in order to win games. I would argue, however, that his management team's decision to pay Bryant with a bad knee will lead to someone being fired.

This is going to be an interesting season. I only hope that Chad Ochocinco (or Johnson, whatever his name is) and Terrell Owens will keep the minstrel shows to a minimum and find ways to be productive. Both guys are in their 30s, so their playing days will be over soon.

Dr. Boyce Watkins is the founder of the Your Black World Coalition and the Athlete Liberation and Academic Reform Movement (ALARM). To have Dr. Boyce commentary delivered to your email, please click here.