Bengals Power Struggle: Mike Brown Shows Marvin Lewis Who Is Boss

Despite being released prior to the NFL Draft in April, there have been rumors swirling that Chris Henry could be a Bengal very soon.

When that rumor broke, it was said that Bengals owner Mike Brown really wanted Henry back ... but coach Marvin Lewis wanted nothing to do with him. Lewis put his word on the line when he said this team would rid themselves of the problem players that have made the franchise into a national punchline. Bringing Henry back would just kill any belief in what Lewis says.

And now that has happened, as Henry is close to being a Bengal again.

It isn't Lewis' fault. Brown wanted him and he's the owner. We've been there where we know better than our bosses but they go ahead and do what they want. In Cincinnati, Lewis has to fight this to create his team on a daily basis and has no one to answer to but Mr. Brown ... Mr. Brown's daughter ... and Mr. Brown's daughter's husband.

Those are Lewis' bosses, which makes him the highest ranking "football guy" in the organization. That's what makes this a shame for Bengals fans.

Lewis is the top football guy ... and football guys usually can overlook those off-field issues for the on-field benefits. Lewis, however, did not with Henry. No one questions what Henry can bring a team when he actually plays ... but he has run out of strikes with the NFL and has shown no reason to believe he's a changed man. Cincinnati didn't cut him in April because he sucks -- they cut him because he was a nuisance.

Now he's a P.R. nightmare.

There is a segment of Bengals fans that don't care about Henry's misdeeds and figure he can help the team. Apparently Mike Brown agrees with this thinking. Of course, the fans only have to deal with some smack talk from outsiders and snide remarks from sports media members. Brown has to deal with how this affects the organization's image, the message it is sending to his players and that he just crossed his best football mind in Lewis.

There is no GM in Cincinnati. Mike Brown, his daughter, his son-in-law and Marvin Lewis make up the think tank for personnel moves. Lewis has been given a lot of control over his own roster (right or wrong) and was given the okay to dump Henry in the first place.

I have been extremely critical of Lewis during his time here, but I have been very impressed with the way he's tried to get this franchise out from under this garbage cloud. He dumped Henry and Odell Thurman and stood up to Chad Johnson's mouth. Pretty ballsy for a guy with one playoff game and one winning season in five years.

Now Lewis gets to coach Henry again and a team that now knows that he doesn't wield ultimate power. Once a coach loses the backing of his front office, he could start losing the respect of his team.