CINCINNATI —

The letters that spelled out the name of football legend Paul Brown were taken off of the front gate of the stadium Wednesday to make way for a new name.

However, it seems like the county is more interested in the fine print of the naming rights contract.

“From a fan perspective, I was excited about it, but also as a county commissioner,” said Hamilton County commissioner Alicia Reece. “But, let’s put the emotion aside and get into what’s in black and white.”

Reece said she’s in favor of the new naming rights that will make the home of the Bengals, Paycor Stadium, but she’s concerned about some of the details.

The contract says that after the first $16.6 million, they split naming rights money with the Bengals getting 70% and the county getting 30%.

Reece said there are some other layers to the contract that her financial team has analyzed and determined that the county will get a much smaller amount than that.

There is also a clause that has the county paying for “fulfillment costs.”

Those are things like advertising, private suites, club seats and tickets among others and there is no cap on those costs.

Reese wants to renegotiate the deal because the county contract only extends to 2026 and the naming rights contract runs 13 years beyond that.

“We’re happy that it’s a local company. We’re happy for the Bengals. What I’m trying to get to is a win, win, a win for the local company, a win for the Bengals and a win for the taxpayers,” Reese said.

CINCINNATI —

Jerry Mills is a die-hard Bengals fan.

Ed Fernandes cheers for the Raiders.

Before Saturday, the two were strangers. Now, they share a special bond.

"I believe God put me there for a reason so that man could have another day of living," Mills said.

Mills had just wrapped up an afternoon of tailgating.

He was on his way in to Paul Brown Stadium when he saw a Raiders fan on the ground. People in the crowd thought he was having a seizure.

"I look at him and, "I'm like, 'that doesn't look like a seizure activity.' I look for a pulse, he didn't have a pulse, and I was like, 'I'm going to start CPR right now,'" Mills said.

Mills, who is from Cincinnati and a former Covington firefighter, currently works as an emergency room nurse in Dallas.

"Being a nurse for the past three years, I've always told everybody I work with, 'Look, we're not losing nobody on my shift,'" Mills said.

That's how he felt outside PBS Saturday.

"I'm sitting there telling him, 'I'm not losing you today.' And so, the other nurse was helping and two minutes later, he got a pulse," Mills said.

But then Mills said he lost it again. Mills said the other nurse who jumped in to help also acted selflessly.

"She took the guy's shirt, put it across his face and started to breathe into his mouth," Mills said.

The two nurses continued to do what they had to to keep the Raiders fan alive until Cincinnati firefighters arrived.

On Tuesday, Mills learned the name of the man he saved, Ed Fernandes of Dayton, who had planned on attending the game with his grandson, Noah.

Noah told WLWT that his grandfather is still at UC Medical Center with blockages in his heart. He is scheduled to have surgery Thursday. Fernandes' family said they can't put into words how grateful they are for Mills.

CINCINNATI —

Cincinnati is energized around the UC Bearcats as they count the days to the Cotton Bowl in Texas.

It's now just about nine days away.

On Tuesday, there was an incredible show of support for the football team with a drone show and fireworks at Nippert Stadium.

The excitement is also keeping businesses around campus booming.

Fans chanted, clapped and rooted for the football Bearcats during the show.

It was a phenomenal display in the sky that seemed to send a bit of a warning to Alabama: this team and its fans mean business.

"We have just been non-stop busy. Extended store hours. Tons of online orders," DuBois Book Store Operations Manager, Ty Bonawitz, said.

Counting down the days to the Cotton Bowl and fans are getting geared up for the Bearcats at DuBois Book Store.

Bonawitz said as soon as they put out new stuff, it's gone, and they have to restock again.

"The biggest problem we're having right now is the cotton shortage that we're dealing which is kind of ironic going to the Cotton Bowl," Bonawitz said.

Even the dogs are rooting on these cats — well, the book store owner's dog — who wanders around as shoppers pick their next piece of gear.

People said they're making a mad dash to get ready for Texas.

"Roll tide cool, but no, they ain't cool for us. We've got to beat them. We've got to beat them," fan, Jason Stewart, said.

Fans have a hearty appetite to see undefeated UC conquer in this historic appearance in the College Football Playoffs.

Over at Mio's, Rich Owens knows the team does, too.

They fed them on Monday.

"We had a whiteboard that we had every player on the team sign and then we're going to laminate it. We haven't titled it yet. We're hoping to put national champs on it," Owens said.

It's a moment in Bearcat history that will stick with the kids.

As the sun went down on Tuesday, there was a bit of an incognito pep rally to "Light Up Nippert Stadium."

There were fireworks and there was also a drone show with messages to root on the team.

"The programming that went into it and the messages up in the sky. They were really neat," fan, Kerri Todd, said.

Of course, there were also the signature UC chants to let Alabama know UC means business.

"I was excited. I was actually up there and he can vouch for me, I was jumping up and down. I was like, 'Oh my God, I can't wait,'" UC employee, Alex Coleman, said.

Fans said some people are driving to Texas and booking houses a couple of hours away so that they can still get close.

Even still, businesses believe turnout locally will be good.

According to officials, more than 150 synchronized drones were used in the show.

They also said a video shot at the event will be featured at some point during the Cotton Bowl.

Giannis Antetokounmpo ended one of the greatest NBA Finals ever with 50 points and a championship Milwaukee waited 50 years to win again.

Antetokounmpo had 50 points, 14 rebounds and five blocked shots as the Bucks beat the Phoenix Suns 105-98 on Tuesday night to win the series 4-2.

It was the third game this series with at least 40 points and 10 rebounds for Antetokounmpo, a dominant, debut finals performance that takes its place among some of the game's greatest.

He shot 16 for 25 from the field and made an unbelievable 17-of-19 free throws — a spectacular performance for any shooter, let alone one who was hitting just 55.6% in the postseason and was ridiculed for it at times.

He hopped around the court waving his arms with 20 seconds remaining to encourage fans to cheer, but it was way too late for that.

Their voices had been booming inside and outside for hours by then, having waited 50 years to celebrate a winner after Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Oscar Robertson led the Bucks to the championship in 1971.

In a season played largely without fans, the Bucks had 65,000 of them packed into the Deer District outside, a wild party that figured to last deep into the Midwestern night.
Confetti rained down inside as fans chanted "Bucks in 6! Bucks in 6!" — which began as a hopeful boast by a former player turning out to be a prophetic rallying cry.

The Bucks became the fifth team to win the NBA Finals after trailing 2-0 and the first to do it by winning the next four games since Miami against Dallas in 2006.

Chris Paul scored 26 points to end his first NBA Finals appearance in his 16th season. Devin Booker added 19 points but shot just 8 for 22 and missed all seven 3-pointers after scoring 40 points in each of the last two games.

The teams that came into the NBA together as expansion clubs in 1968 delivered a fine finals, with the last three games all in the balance deep into the fourth quarter.

The Bucks won them largely because of Antetokounmpo, a two-time MVP in the regular season who raised his game even higher in the finals and was voted the NBA Finals MVP.

The Larry O'Brien trophy was presented to the Bucks by NBA Commissioner Adam Silver.

This story will be updated shortly.

CINCINNATI — The Cincinnati Bengals announced Thursday a new installation at Paul Brown Stadium called the Ring of Honor, which is meant to honor former coaches, players and others who were influential in the organization's history.

"Through the Bengals Ring of Honor, we will be able to celebrate our great history and keep memories alive as we create content that can be shared for generations to come," Bengals executive vice president Katie Blackburn said.

The Ring of Honor will be a recurring tradition and will be in the east facade of the stadium. Paul Brown and Anthony Munoz have already been selected to be part of the installation.

"They are in the Hall of Fame in Canton and it pleases me to put them out front as our initial inductees," Bengals president Mike Brown said.

“I am humbled to be a member of the inaugural class of the Bengals Ring of Honor alongside Paul Brown,” Munoz said. "The organization has had some amazing, amazing players over the 50-plus years of existence. I think it’s great because now we get to celebrate all of the guys and that’s what it’s all about.”

Two other people will be selected for the inaugural Ring of Honor class by a ballot vote between Bengals season ticket members and suite owners.

“The Bengals Ring of Honor is a way to show our appreciation for individuals who have made a significant impact on our franchise,” Brown said. "We have a lot great players and coaches to honor and it will be fun to reminisce as we go about this process.”