Carl Lawson article at bengals.com

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About ten summers later the Atlanta humidity still grips and drips, but Lawson Jr., has on shorts because they’re free. And the Tony Villani academy shorts qualify. But maybe not the Yankees hat.

“Everything I’m wearing is free,” Junior says in a John’s Creek smoothie shop. “I just like the hat. It’s a Yankees hat, right? People are big on that. I just like the hat. It looks cool on me. I don’t know. I can’t remember. I might have bought it … I’m not a big brand person. If it looks good on me, I’ll wear it … As athletes, we get a bunch of free stuff … Why am I going to go buy something?”

Lawson is just coming from a pass-rushing session with Smith and is headed across town to a deep massage. He’ll pass on a smoothie. If he’s not paying for anything that makes him better in football, he’ll usually hold off.

“Food. I’ll (spend for) food,” he says and when asked his favorite dish he says, ‘Get back to me when I’ve got a death sentence (for a last meal).”

Cars? The 2014 Lexus he bought after he was drafted is nice, but he vows never to buy a new car. “Waste of money,” he says. “Depreciates as soon as you take it off the lot. You can still find a nice car.” With just 29,000 miles, it is. He needed one because the car his mother gave him to use at school, a Buick from the turn of the century (“a ’98, maybe a 2000”) began to break down.

“For the draft we got two free suits, so I don’t have to buy a suit anytime soon,” Lawson says. “My money is mainly going to things that make me a better football player.”

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