Oct 26, 1975; Atlanta, GA, USA; FILE PHOTO; Cincinnati Bengals defensive back Lemar Parrish (22) carries the ball against the Atlanta Falcons at Fulton County Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Manny Rubio-Imagn Images Manny Rubio-Imagn Images

No Mending Fences Needed: Bengals ROH Pick Lemar Parrish Harbors No Ill Will Despite Team Trading Him in His Prime

Originally posted on Cincinnati Bengals on SI
By Jay Morrison | Last updated Jul 16, 2025 2:27 PM ET

CINCINNATI – When the Cincinnati Bengals announced the 2025 class for their Ring of Honor, it included two players whose tenures with the team could not be more dichotomous.

Former offensive lineman and current radio analyst Dave Lapham is entering his 50th season with the franchise, 10 as a player and 40 in the broadcast booth.

But former cornerback Lemar Parrish saw his time with the Bengals come to an abrupt end after eight seasons when the team traded him in his prime to Washington.

Parrish had made the Pro Bowl in four consecutive seasons and six of his first eight when owner Paul Brown packaged him with defensive end Coy Bacon and traded the duo for a 1979 first-round pick.

Both Bacon and Parrish would play four seasons in Washington, with Parrish earning two more Pro Bowl nods.

And here is the Stat of the Jay on Lemar, who remarkably still ranks fifth in NFL history in a stat more than 40 years after retiring.https://t.co/nmriM5RIPz
— Jay Morrison (@ByJayMorrison) July 16, 2025

While speaking with reporters about his selection to the Ring of Honor, Parrish said he never harbored any animosity toward the Bengals for trading him a month before training camp began in 1978.

“I never had hard feelings,” Parrish said emphatically. “In fact, I have total respect for coach Brown and Mike Brown. They have been good to me. Football is a business. It’s a game, but there’s a business within the game.”

Parrish was using his leverage of four consecutive Pro Bowls to ask for a big raise in an era before there was free agency.

He was going to turn 31 during the 1978 season, and the Bengals weren’t willing to pay his price, so they made that traded that would land them running back Charles Alexander with the No. 12 pick in 1979.

“I was asking for a certain amount, and it was business with Paul,” Parrish said. “And it was business with me also. So we just had to do what we had to do.

“I don’t have any animosity toward Paul or Mike,” he added.

Not only is their no ill will, there is deep appreciation.

More than 20 years after retiring as a player, Parrish returned to his alma mater, Lincoln (Mo.) College, where he was the head coach of the Blue Tigers for four seasons.

During that time, Parrish said Mike was a huge help.

“Mike Brown has been really good to me,” Parrish said. “When I was coaching, I would call him and ask for equipment and shoes and stuff like that, and he never said ‘no.’

“So I don’t have any hard feeling toward the Bengals,” he continued. “Paul Brown gave me an opportunity, and I’m grateful for that. The Bengals will always be my team.”

This article first appeared on Cincinnati Bengals on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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