EXCLUSIVE: Bengals announce move back to Charlotte

Team will now be known as the Carolina Panthers
By "Porsche Lynn Commode"

Off-Season 2272 (Cincinnati) - The day Cincinnati Bengals fans have dreaded has arrived.

The Cincinnati Bengals announced they were moving back to Charlotte and will be renamed the Carolina Panthers.

'We are sad in many ways to make this announcement,' Bengals Director of Football Operations 'Trader' Lee Remley said in a statement. 'Our fans in Cincinnati have supported us for many years and we are grateful for that. But the situation with our stadium and the City of Cincinnati not being willing to support our franchise any longer necessitated this move.'

The signs were there in recent weeks. The breakdown of negotiations with the city. The for sale sign in Remley's yard. The spotting of Remley in Charlotte meeting with local businessmen.

Charlotte has built a billion dollar facility in hopes of attracting a USAFL team that puts the new one in Dallas to shame. So the new Panthers will have a state of the art facility playpen for their team going forward.

With the lease in Cincinnati being up at the end of the 2271 season, the Panthers will begin play immediately in the 2272 season, making the Bengals last appearance being in the AFC Championship game where they were shut out by eventual champion Oakland.

Bengals fans are holding a candlelight vigil at the stadium this evening to mourn the loss of their team.

Meanwhile, Remley is looking forward to his team's new start.

'We are looking forward to bringing a great product to Charlotte,' Remley said. 'We also look forward to playing in our new stadium in 2272 and bringing excitement to the city of Charlotte.'

This also marks the last appearance of this reporter writing USAFL articles. Unfortunately with this team moving, that kind of flushes my career as a football reporter. It has been a pleasure bringing you the news of this franchise over the years.

I think I may just retire. Maybe to somewhere warm?

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