Bengals coach Marvin Lewis never hides his disdain for discussing injuries. He's described players as "iffy," given his analysis as an "enthusiastic we'll see," and this preseason called injuries to players "ow-ies" so as not to divulge pertinent information. 

Yet, when it comes to concussions in the NFL these days, any philosophy shy of complete transparency should cause a double take from fans, the league and the NFLPA. Lawsuits hang over the NFL and no issue owns a higher priority on Roger Goodell's desk.

That's why comments Lewis made following Thursday night's preseason win against Atlanta leaves many wondering if Lewis' stance of shielding injuries may have gone too far. MLB Vontaze Burfict left the game and didn't return after suffering a hit to the head from teammate Taylor Mays, but when Lewis was asked if Mays suffered a concussion he offered this, according to the Cincinnati Enquire:

"Burfict is fine. I’m going to tell you right now I’m not going to sit here and talk about concussions all season. At all. I’m going to make that clear.”

Much of Lewis' vitriol comes from the fact the same scenario occurred following the first preseason game when Mays left with a possible concussion. He was cleared by team doctors and an independent team of doctors to return to practice three days later, according to Mays. Lewis wouldn't divulge specifics following that game, either.

Lewis is not mandated by the league to discuss the details of these injuries, particularly in the preseason, but when it comes to discussions in this landscape, should emphatically refusing to keep the team's treatment of these issues secret be the proper road to take? No matter because it appears Lewis made his choice, but the league and NFLPA may have interest in exploring transparency of concussion treatment with their players going forward.

Follow Paul Dehner Jr. for Bengals updates from training camp on Twitter at @CBSSportsNFLCIN.