Zac Taylor defends hiring coach fired in Dolphins' bullying scandal

Cincinnati Bengals head coach Zac Taylor pushed back against criticism for hiring offensive line coach Jim Turner on Thursday. Turner hasn't worked in the NFL since the Miami Dolphins fired him for his role in the team's bullying scandal in 2014.

Taylor said he anticipated some fallout after emphasizing the importance of character during his introductory press conference on Tuesday.

"I know the man and I know he's a great person, great human. And so, somebody I trust," Taylor said on Thursday, according to ESPN's Katherine Terrell. "We talked about culture and bringing the right people in this building and I would never do anything that would tarnish the reputation of the Brown family and the Bengals organization if I didn't believe in the person and know the person inside and out."

Turner was named in the Wells report, which investigated the issues surrounding the bullying of former Dolphins offensive lineman Jonathan Martin, among others.

The report said Turner knew of the bullying and even participated. The offensive line coach, who was aware of an ongoing locker-room joke that an unnamed player - referred to as Player A - was gay, purchased inflatable female dolls for every offensive lineman except Player A, who received a male version.

Taylor was a Dolphins assistant coach at the time and said he's "very comfortable" bringing Turner into his locker room.

Turner most recently coached at Texas A&M, where he was suspended for two weeks in 2016 for showing a sexist and offensive slideshow at an event intended to educate woman about football.

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