CINCINNATI -- Bengals coach Marvin Lewis on Wednesday blasted accusations raised in a recent report that contend he and other members of the organization pressured the wife of a former player to call them before the police during alleged incidents of domestic assault that involved her husband.
Mercedes Sands, 25, the ex-wife of former Bengals safety Robert Sands, made the accusations in a New York Times article published Monday.
She told the newspaper Robert Sands assaulted her multiple times and that -- following a meeting at Paul Brown Stadium with Lewis and her husband -- both were advised to seek counseling and to reach out to the Bengals first if there were further problems. She said she was told that a call to the police could attract attention from the media, causing an embarrassing distraction for the team.
On Wednesday afternoon, Mercedes Sands stood by her allegations in a radio interview with Cincinnati ESPN Radio 1530 AM.
"After that meeting, they told us, come to us first. Basically keeping things in-house," Mercedes Sands told ESPN 1530. "That put me more at fear where I'm like, 'So don't call the police, call you?'"
She added in the radio interview that Lewis was the only high-ranking Bengals official who made those pleas. No one else in management did, she said.
Earlier in the day, Lewis, the Bengals' 12th-year coach, responded harshly during his news conference when asked about her allegations.
"Mercedes doesn't have a very good memory of things," Lewis said before referencing reporters to a team statement.
Lewis said he wasn't going to speak further on the issue, but he continued after being asked another question.
"We did a lot to try to help the Sands. It's part of growing up," Lewis said. "You had two young kids who didn't really have a good feel for what life is and so forth. Their relationship was very tumultuous. She is kind of remembering things one-sided -- from her side."
At one point in his news conference, Lewis became annoyed by the line of questioning. He tried to switch gears and return to discussing the Bengals' game Sunday against the Texans.
"I'm not going to answer any more questions," he said. "Anything else that really matters?"
Mercedes Sands was bothered by that in her radio interview.
"Why would he say, 'Let's talk about something else that really matters?'" she said. "Do you not think that domestic violence matters? Do you not think that things should not be brushed under the rug? He tried to do it again, and that's not right."
The Bengals denied Mercedes Sands' allegations in a statement issued Wednesday.
"Neither the club nor Coach Lewis advised the Sands not to talk to law enforcement; instead, the club encouraged them to work on their problems and to utilize counseling to improve their relationship," the statement said. "Unfortunately, the Sands did not take full advantage of the services available to them, and they missed various counseling sessions.
"The notion that Mrs. Sands was advised not to talk to police lacks credibility. Law enforcement had already been involved with the Sands' situation."
Lewis also said Wednesday that police were involved in the alleged incidents.
"[When] domestic violence [is] involved, it's a matter of the law," Lewis said. "It's not in our deal. In their cases, the authorities were called.
"The police were called and contacted before anything ever got to that point, so I don't know where her rationale comes from that. What they were asked to do was to work on the relationship. We offered counseling to them, and many times there they missed the appointments to where the counselors would no longer take their appointments. Really, from Mercedes' standpoint, she ought to be more truthful in what she is talking about."
Mercedes Sands said that, at a point, going to the counseling sessions proved futile for her. She told ESPN 1530 on days when she would speak up, she "would get punished for it on the way home."
Robert Sands spent two seasons with the Bengals after they selected him in the fifth round of the 2011 draft. The West Virginia product appeared in only one game before his release after the 2013 season.
In January 2013, one day before the Bengals traveled to Houston for a wild-card playoff game they ultimately lost, Sands was arrested on domestic assault charges. That day, Mercedes Sands -- who was eight months pregnant -- called police to report she had been assaulted when her husband choked her and put the weight of his body on her belly, according to the Times.
The NFL later got involved, suspending Sands for two games, although he told the paper he wasn't aware of a suspension.
"The Bengals' decision to release Robert Sands was based upon his overall performance," the team's statement said.
Mercedes Sands disagreed. She also said her ex-husband contacted her earlier in the week to see if she had read the story. She acknowledged that she had, but they didn't discuss the issue further.
The Times reported that Robert Sands' case has since been expunged and that the charges were dismissed in exchange for an agreement to undergo counseling. The 25-year-old currently is playing for the Edmonton Eskimos of the Canadian Football League.
Mercedes Sands' allegations come at the same time the NFL is dealing with a rash of player-involved domestic violence issues.
Ray Rice was cut by the Ravens earlier this year after video surfaced showing him punching his now-wife in an Atlantic City, New Jersey, casino. On Tuesday, the NFL suspended Vikings running back Adrian Peterson for the rest of the season after photos surfaced showing marks on his 4-year-old son left by punishment beatings. Peterson pleaded no contest to misdemeanor reckless assault earlier this month.