Bengals Reeling from Rape Case

The rape allegations that have rocked the Cincinnati Bengals’ organization left some players mum Wednesday and others upset that their names have been mentioned in the scandal.

Twenty current or former Bengals are accused of raping or watching the rape nearly two years ago in a Seattle hotel room of a Spokane, Wash., woman identified as Victoria C.

The names were made public Tuesday, five months after the lawsuit was filed in Seattle. Reaction in the Bengals’ locker room ranged from silence to anger.

“Man, it hurts like hell,” said running back Eric Ball, named in the civil suit as a defendant. “It hurts your family. The damage is already done.”

Cornerback Eric Thomas, also named in the suit, said: “We won’t know how it will affect us until five or six years down the road, when we’re done playing football and trying to get into the business world.”

Added receiver Tim McGee: “I don’t know who was in the room. I only know who wasn’t in the room. I don’t know what went on in the room. I don’t care what went on in the room. I wasn’t involved.

“It’s upsetting. It’s disheartening in every aspect of the word.”

Even players not involved in the lawsuit felt the fallout.

“There’s no winner in this situation at all,” said quarterback Boomer Esiason, who is not a defendant. “Whether you’re a name on the list or a part of this team or this woman in Seattle, there are no winners.”

The Bengals had some of their tightest media restrictions ever Wednesday, the first day of workouts since the names were revealed. A group of about 40 reporters and photographers--about four times the usual complement--was kept off the Spinney Field site for all but the half-hour access mandated by the NFL.

None of the Bengals would answer questions about what happened at the hotel.