Zac Taylor, the new Bengals coach, recently let go of his player.

After less than a week as the Bengals’ coach, Zac Taylor is already drawing flak for one of his first decisions.

The Bengals hired four offensive assistants to coach Jim Turner’s staff on Thursday: Ben Martin, assistant offensive line coach; James Casey, tight ends coach; and offensive coordinator Brian Callahan. Because of Turner’s background, Taylor was forced to justify his employment of him as soon as the positions were made public.

In 2016, Texas A&M punished Turner for two weeks after he made disparaging remarks about women in a presentation. Turner was the offensive line coach for the Dolphins the last time he worked as an NFL coach. In February 2014, following the publication of Ted Wells’ report on the bullying problems that beset the Dolphins’ locker room, he was let go from that role. Turner was “conscious of the recurring ‘joke’ that Player A was gay, and on at least one occasion, he engaged in the mocking,” according to the Wells report.He was fired by the Dolphins due to “bad judgment.”

Taylor, who tried to recruit Turner at the University of Cincinnati and worked with him at Miami and Texas A&M before that, defended Turner’s character on Thursday, saying, “I know the man, and I know he’s a fantastic person, a great human.”

As per ESPN’s Katherine Terrell, Taylor stated, “Well, I think everyone gets caught in certain situations that they wish they would do better in occasionally. But again, I know those situations inside and out, and I feel very comfortable bringing Jim in here and all the other folks we’re bringing in.”

“On the surface, sometimes things seem a particular way,” he said. Thus, once more, I’m at ease with the choice to have him in. This was exactly what I was expecting, and I felt quite at ease. Perhaps if I didn’t know someone who has experienced such circumstances, but I feel very at ease because I know him, I know what he’s all about, and I know that. This is the proper choice; I’m sure of it.”

Turner presented gift bags containing “inflatable female dolls” to the offensive linemen of the Dolphins, according to the Wells report. Turner, however, substituted a male blow-up doll for the offensive lineman (Player A), who had been “subjected to homophobic name-calling.”

“Turner was questioned if he offered Player A a male blow-up doll during the interview,” the article stated. “‘I can’t recall,’ was his response. We think Turner remembered this encounter, as did a number of other people.”

Turner will be expected to lead an offensive line that, according to a Football Outsiders statistic, allowed the 12th fewest sacks and ranked 22nd in run blocking when he returns to the NFL. However, Taylor made it clear that he hired Turner for more reasons than just his coaching abilities. He liked him as a person, which is another reason he hired him.

“Aside from coaching football, I like and know the person,” Taylor remarked.

Shortly after Super Bowl LIII, Taylor was brought in to take over as Cincinnati Bengals coach in lieu of Marvin Lewis. During the playoffs, the Bengals narrowed their focus on Taylor, the Rams’ quarterbacks coach, as their top choice. However, they had to wait for the season to conclude before they could formally hire Taylor.

Taylor’s inexperience has led to doubts about the transfer. The 35-year-old has only ever served as an NFL offensive coordinator once, and that was back in 2015 on an interim basis. In 2016, the University of Cincinnati’s offensive coordinator was Taylor, and the team averaged 19.3 points per contest. He spent one season as the Rams’ assistant wide receivers coach before taking over as their quarterbacks coach this past season.
The Bengals hired four offensive assistants to coach Jim Turner’s staff on Thursday: Ben Martin, assistant offensive line coach; James Casey, tight ends coach; and offensive coordinator Brian Callahan. Because of Turner’s background, Taylor was forced to justify his employment of him as soon as the positions were made public.

In 2016, Texas A&M punished Turner for two weeks after he made disparaging remarks about women in a presentation. Turner was the offensive line coach for the Dolphins the last time he worked as an NFL coach. In February 2014, following the publication of Ted Wells’ report on the bullying problems that beset the Dolphins’ locker room, he was let go from that role. Turner was “conscious of the recurring ‘joke’ that Player A was gay, and on at least one occasion, he engaged in the mocking,” according to the Wells report.He was fired by the Dolphins due to “bad judgment.”

Taylor, who tried to recruit Turner at the University of Cincinnati and worked with him at Miami and Texas A&M before that, defended Turner’s character on Thursday, saying, “I know the man, and I know he’s a fantastic person, a great human.”

As per ESPN’s Katherine Terrell, Taylor stated, “Well, I think everyone gets caught in certain situations that they wish they would do better in occasionally. But again, I know those situations inside and out, and I feel very comfortable bringing Jim in here and all the other folks we’re bringing in.”

“On the surface, sometimes things seem a particular way,” he said. Thus, once more, I’m at ease with the choice to have him in. This was exactly what I was expecting, and I felt quite at ease. Perhaps if I didn’t know someone who has experienced such circumstances, but I feel very at ease because I know him, I know what he’s all about, and I know that. This is the proper choice; I’m sure of it.”

Turner presented gift bags containing “inflatable female dolls” to the offensive linemen of the Dolphins, according to the Wells report. Turner, however, substituted a male blow-up doll for the offensive lineman (Player A), who had been “subjected to homophobic name-calling.”

“Turner was questioned if he offered Player A a male blow-up doll during the interview,” the article stated. “‘I can’t recall,’ was his response. We think Turner remembered this encounter, as did a number of other people.”

Turner will be expected to lead an offensive line that, according to a Football Outsiders statistic, allowed the 12th fewest sacks and ranked 22nd in run blocking when he returns to the NFL. However, Taylor made it clear that he hired Turner for more reasons than just his coaching abilities. He liked him as a person, which is another reason he hired him.

“Aside from coaching football, I like and know the person,” Taylor remarked.

Shortly after Super Bowl LIII, Taylor was brought in to take over as Cincinnati Bengals coach in lieu of Marvin Lewis. During the playoffs, the Bengals narrowed their focus on Taylor, the Rams’ quarterbacks coach, as their top choice. However, they had to wait for the season to conclude before they could formally hire Taylor.

Taylor’s inexperience has led to doubts about the transfer. The 35-year-old has only ever served as an NFL offensive coordinator once, and that was back in 2015 on an interim basis. In 2016, the University of Cincinnati’s offensive coordinator was Taylor, and the team averaged 19.3 points per contest. He spent one season as the Rams’ assistant wide receivers coach before taking over as their quarterbacks coach this past season.