Several readers have asked whether the ongoing antics of Chad Johnson, featuring a radio row effort to get himself traded without coming out and demanding a trade, runs afoul of the Bengals’ notorious “loyalty clause,” also known as the “Carl Pickens clause.”

The easy answer is no, but only because the Pickens clause was rendered null and void by the 2006 revisions to the Collective Bargaining Agreement.  The amendment specifically prohibits an attack on a signing bonus based on adverse public statements.  Thus, the bonus money Johnson received as part of his April 2006 contract extension is safe.

However, the CBA does not prevent the imposition of discipline for conduct detrimental to the team.  And how can it not be detrimental for a player who is under contract to attempt, city by city, to generate buzz for a possible trade?

Whether the Bengals try to impose discipline on Johnson for his antics remains to be seen.  But given the lengths to which team president Mike Brown went to justify the loyalty clause, including but not limited to writing a column for the Cincinnati Enquirer, it’s clear that the Bengals understand the connection between a player “blurting off at the mouth” (thanks, Emmitt) and team performance.

As Brown wrote more than seven years ago:  “For as long as team sports have been played, it has been demonstrated that teams that bond well perform well on the field.  Players who openly criticize their teammates and coaches undermine the team’s ability to win games.”  

So while the team’s options are limited, discipline can be imposed.  And a league source with knowledge of the dynamics of the Bengals front office predicts that the current situation could eventually result in a T.O.-style feud.

“Mike Brown won’t trade him under any circumstances,” the source said.  “They will let him sit and rot.”

Stay tuned, folks.  Once Ocho Stinko watches someone hoisting the Lombardi on Sunday night, the desire to get his own fingerprints on it will only increase.  And his campaign to land with a team that he regards as a contender will continue to intensify.