After spending the first four years of his career with the Bengals, it's probably for the best that William Jackson III ended up leaving Cincinnati during free agency because it doesn't sound like he was very happy there.
During an interview this week with 106.7 the Fan in Washington D.C., not only did Jackson take a few shots at his former team, but he also had a few negative things to say about Bengals fans. At one point in the conversation, Jackson was asked how Washington fans were treating him on social media now that he's a member of the Football Team and he responded by bringing up the Bengals.
"Cincinnati, they got some crude fans, man. Misery loves company," Jackson said. "[Washington fans] have been nothing but supportive since Day 1."
Jackson then later added that he's "happy" be be out of Cincinnati.
"The Bengals on the other hand, them dudes, they wonder why they're not winning," Jackson said. "I'm happy I'm out of that thing, man. It's a blessing to get away and I wish them the best, but Washington, let's go from here."
The 28-year-old has wanted out of Cincinnati for a while. Back in October, CBS Sports NFL Insider Jason La Canfora reported that the corner was hoping to get dealt before the trade deadline, but that didn't happen. Instead, he finished the season with the Bengals.
Jackson's NFL career started in 2016 when the Bengals made him the 24th overall pick in the draft. After missing his entire rookie year due to injury, Jackson rebounded to start in 48 of the 59 games he played in over the next four seasons. Although Jackson was a solid player on the field during his five years in Cincinnati, he says no one really noticed him because he was playing for a bad team in a small market.
"Nobody knows how good I am and over time, that kind of gets to you," Jackson said. "You're putting in all the work. ... At the end of the day, I was just on a team that's not a big market. A lot of the people around the world don't know what I can do or what I did."
During Jackson's five years in Cincinnati, the Bengals had an overall record of 25-53-2 and never finished a single season above .500. Jackson will now head off to Washington after signing a three-year, $42 million contract with the reigning NFC East champs at the start of free agency in March.
