Corey Dillon set for Bengals honor years after fiery exit

CINCINNATI -- The last time Corey Dillon played for the Bengals in 2003, he threw his equipment into the stands before the team eventually traded him.

Decades later, the former running back will be enshrined in the Bengals' ring of honor, the team announced Thursday. Cincinnati's all-time leading rusher joins former nose tackle Tim Krumrie as this year's inductees. They will be honored in a ceremony during the team's Week 3 game against the  Washington Commanders on "Monday Night Football."

In a news conference, Dillon said he believed that the total body of work was more important than how he left the club.

"I think time heals everything," Dillon said. "We had our due process of healing in our different ways. It's been long enough. I don't think the antics outweighed the production on the field, you know what I mean? I think what I presented to the organization outweighed the little antics that went on."

Dillon played for the Bengals from 1997 to 2003. In seven seasons, he amassed 8,061 rushing yards on 1,865 attempts, both tops in franchise history. His 278-yard performance against the Denver Broncos in 2000 set the NFL's single-game rushing record at the time, a mark that was broken three years later by the Baltimore Ravens' Jamal Lewis.

Dillon's inclusion comes after a turbulent relationship with the franchise.

In an era in which the Bengals never won more than eight games in a season, he expressed his frustration with the ownership group led by team president Mike Brown and, eventually, his desire to play elsewhere. The Bengals traded him in 2004 to the New England Patriots for a second-round pick. In his first year with New England, Dillon made his fourth and final Pro Bowl and helped the club win its third Super Bowl in four years.

His frustration with the Bengals simmered long after he retired in 2006 following three seasons with the Patriots. Last year, Dillon was critical of Cincinnati's selection process for its ring of honor, which debuted in 2021.

Among the things he told The Athletic at the time was that his omission was "damn-near criminal" and he was sure that they will "put f---ing Jon Kitna in there" before Dillon. However, the Bengals' season-ticket holders made sure Dillon and Krumrie were inducted.

On Thursday, Dillon said he got the news after he missed a call from a Cincinnati area code. When he checked his voicemail, it was Brown informing him of the honor, which prompted a return call.

"We had a beautiful conversation, man," Dillon said. "It was long time coming. I'll say that much."

In a statement released by the team, Brown praised both Dillon and Krumrie for their durability and toughness. Krumrie played for Cincinnati from 1983 to 1994. He was a two-time Pro Bowler and a first-team Associated Press All-Pro selection in 1988 and is known for wanting to finish the Bengals' Super Bowl XXIII loss to the San Francisco 49ers despite suffering a severely broken leg.

"He never stopped trying," Brown said. "He just thought that's the way you did it, and it really is. Not everyone can match that."