OT: Cedric Benson arrested
by nbt on May 4, 2008 2:58 PM CDT
Email
PrintThe soon to be ex-Bears RB was intoxicated while operating a 30 foot boat and police had to use pepper spray to subdue him. His maturity level seems to be dropping since we drafted him, not that it was ever very high, but how can the Bears recent history of drafting RB be so horrible? Well, the RB competition won't make it to see July mini-camps. I hope Forte is ready..... Stay Classy Cedric
http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5iEQ3WatTqlXPZ7ifh-875Z5_SsOQD90F0BEO0
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Sad to hear.
I hope Ced gets himself straightened out.
"I've always felt that starting pitching is the most important part of the rotation." - Joe Morgan, Sunday Night Baseball 8-12-07
Thomas Jones
Should stil be our #1 running back, I think the Bears will get rid of benson seeing this isnt his first run in with the law. I still stick to my thought of Jerry Angelo being the Anti-Christ
"We Are Not Fair Weather But Foul Weather Fans, Brothers In Arms In Streets and The Stands." -Eddie Vedder, Someday We'll Go All The Way
Thomas Jones was no better a player,
but much less of a knucklehead. Plus, with that line last season, Walter would’ve had trouble running the ball. This Forte kid seems like a find, has a good attitude…let’s see how he works out. The most important thing, though it that the line plays well.
No way JA is the anti-Christ; he’d botch the whole apocalypse thing by trading down for defense. That guy could screw up a wet dream.
"I've always felt that starting pitching is the most important part of the rotation." - Joe Morgan, Sunday Night Baseball 8-12-07
I disagree
Thomas Jones was easily twice the player benson was, regardless of that we got virtually nothing in return from the Jets for him when he was easily in the top 10 backs in the league. But what you said about Angelo was hilarious and very true
"We Are Not Fair Weather But Foul Weather Fans, Brothers In Arms In Streets and The Stands." -Eddie Vedder, Someday We'll Go All The Way
by ryanbrixenivy on May 4, 2008 7:11 PM CDT up reply actions
Look at the stats
Thomas Jones put up with the Jets last year. 1 TD, 3.6 ypc not so hot: http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/players/5036
I haz show: http://hotbeans.wordpress.com
by digitalbenjamin on May 5, 2008 11:12 AM CDT up reply actions
They're essentially the same runner at this point,
But Jones is a much better blocker. Neither is a particularly gifted pass-catcher.
"I've always felt that starting pitching is the most important part of the rotation." - Joe Morgan, Sunday Night Baseball 8-12-07
Man, some people are just stupid.
Here’s a guy who had everything going for him but apparently has a “me, me, me” attitude about everything.
He’ll be out of the NFL in a year, maybe less. Good riddance.
"That's my opinion and if you don't like it, well, I have others." ~ Groucho Marx
I think he's already done.
Hub Arkush was intimating on the Score a week or so ago that, one, Benson’s injury was a lot more serious than the Bears let on, and, two, that Benson was less than motivated in his rehab work. This might be the end of Ced Benson as an NFL’er.
"I've always felt that starting pitching is the most important part of the rotation." - Joe Morgan, Sunday Night Baseball 8-12-07
I remember
him crying when he got drafted. I’ve been stunned by how lackluster his career has been so far.
There is a saying about baseball
“Grown men playing a childs game.” the NFL lately seems like like the opposite.
"We Are Not Fair Weather But Foul Weather Fans, Brothers In Arms In Streets and The Stands." -Eddie Vedder, Someday We'll Go All The Way
by ryanbrixenivy on May 4, 2008 7:09 PM CDT up reply actions
This guy is a real pile of excrement...
I got nothin nice to say about him I hope the Bears dump his completely worthless ass immediately.
LOSER!!!!!!!
Calm down.
After all of Angelo's bluster about the Tank Johnson
situation last season and how he wasn’t going to get “obligated” to a player like that again, I think he’s almost duty bound to cut him.
However, since Benson is still technically injured, I’m not sure how the Player’s Association CB allows teams to handle those types of roster moves.
"I've always felt that starting pitching is the most important part of the rotation." - Joe Morgan, Sunday Night Baseball 8-12-07
Is Benson still under contract?
If not, just cut him.
"That's my opinion and if you don't like it, well, I have others." ~ Groucho Marx
NFL contracts
are not guaranteed…so even if he had multiple years left, the Bears would not be on the line for them if they cut him…on the other hand, any bonus money he got would be applied against the cap if they do cut him.
See the Cubs 2008 schedule (with TV schedule & game-by-game results) at http://ignarski.tripod.com/sched2008.html
He got a 17 million dollar bonus,
so spread across 5 years, his cap number is between 3.3-3.4 million dollars.
"I've always felt that starting pitching is the most important part of the rotation." - Joe Morgan, Sunday Night Baseball 8-12-07
He is,
but there are no guaranteed contracts in the NFL. The Bears can cut him at any time, but I’m not sure if his injury status protects him in this regard, as I’m not familiar with the ins-and-outs of the NFLPA’s CB. They’d probably owe him some buyout money and he’d be a pretty big hit on the salary cap. Benson’s contract was 5 years, $35 mil. His cap number is north of 3 million dollars. That’s a pretty big hit to take.
"I've always felt that starting pitching is the most important part of the rotation." - Joe Morgan, Sunday Night Baseball 8-12-07
Injured players
Golic talked about this on Mike and Mike one morning. He said that you can’t cut an injured player – so if you had an injury that was lingering you would play it up when you heard a rumor you were going to be cut to make sure they couldn’t cut you and have you lose out on the rest of your deal.
Benson sucks...
He seems to be a unmotivated, selfish player…i’ve always suspected that his lack of drive comes from smoking too much funny stuff…(he has had one marijuana arrest). Wonder what (if any) salary cap impact would occur from cutting him. I just hope this Forte guy can step in and contribute- we shall see…
His prior arrest
wasn’t for weed, it was for breaking and entering. He believed an ex-girlfriend had a TV of his, so he smashed down the door of her place to get his TV. He’s never been arrested for drugs. That was the other Texas RB…
"I've always felt that starting pitching is the most important part of the rotation." - Joe Morgan, Sunday Night Baseball 8-12-07
Well we have all been there
"We Are Not Fair Weather But Foul Weather Fans, Brothers In Arms In Streets and The Stands." -Eddie Vedder, Someday We'll Go All The Way
by ryanbrixenivy on May 4, 2008 8:15 PM CDT up reply actions
I stand corrected.
according to Pro Football Talk, Benson was arrested in 2002 for possession of drugs, drug paraphernalia, and underage drinking.
"I've always felt that starting pitching is the most important part of the rotation." - Joe Morgan, Sunday Night Baseball 8-12-07
He was the underage person.
"I've always felt that starting pitching is the most important part of the rotation." - Joe Morgan, Sunday Night Baseball 8-12-07
we are screwed
"God will squeeze really hard, but he will never choke you" - Carlos Zambrano
by SouthsideCUBSfan on May 4, 2008 4:27 PM CDT reply actions
Not really,
but Ced Benson is in deep doo-doo.
"I've always felt that starting pitching is the most important part of the rotation." - Joe Morgan, Sunday Night Baseball 8-12-07
This might be the end of the Benson saga..
Truly sad because I thought he was going to be something special.. But Matt Forte reminds me a ton of Marshall Faulk and a bit of Colts RB Joesph Addai, so I tihnk we’ll be just fine. And he seems to be a great character guy as well.
Devin Hester, you are rediculous! -Jeff Joniak
Forte is not nearly as fast
as either Addai or Faulk. I’m not talking 40 speed, either, so don’t quote 40 times to me. I’m talking about full pads, through the hole, football speed. Forte looks good on tape, seems shifty and quick, but he doesn’t have a breakaway gear. That’s fine for the Bears offense, however, let’s not put him in the same class as a sure-fire HOF’er and the starting RB for a SB winner just yet.
"I've always felt that starting pitching is the most important part of the rotation." - Joe Morgan, Sunday Night Baseball 8-12-07
Nothing surprises me anymore
i am beginning to think that some of these arrests are almost a rite of passage in the nba and nfl. it is almost prerequisite for these guys to have at least one dui with no license, no insurance with a gun and/or marijuana in the vehicle. and once you get the first arrest under your belt you graduate to shootings outside stripjoints and so on and so on.
"Relax, all right? Don't try to strike everybody out. Strikeouts are boring! Besides that, they're fascist. Throw some ground balls - it's more democratic" Crash Davis - Bull Durham
You may be right about it being "normal" these days...
... but the question is, is it RIGHT. I would say “NO”.
"That's my opinion and if you don't like it, well, I have others." ~ Groucho Marx
There are approximately
1696 rostered players in the NFL; maybe 5-10 have these types of off-the-field troubles each offseason. That’s less than 10%. Let’s not tar-and-feather the whole league for the idiotic exploits of a few knuckleheads.
"I've always felt that starting pitching is the most important part of the rotation." - Joe Morgan, Sunday Night Baseball 8-12-07
While the number of these incidents is small...
... they are the sorts of things you’d think a college-educated athlete wouldn’t be a part of.
Oh, wait. I said “educated”. Sorry.
"That's my opinion and if you don't like it, well, I have others." ~ Groucho Marx
Ken Lay and Ken Skilling were college educated.
As are Walter Jacobsen and Bob Greene. It didn’t keep them from criminal and/or irresponsible behavior.
Having knowledge doesn’t preclude one from engaging in criminal and/or irresponsible behavior. Moreover, assuming that they are uneducated and therefore too stupid to know any better is a pretty crass stance.
We get the benefit of not having the stupid sh*t that we do plastered all over the news and the internets because we’re not million-dollar athletes. They don’t get that benefit. Granted they should be aware of that, and the overwhelming majority of them are, as the numbers bear out. When you put people on a pedestal and treat them like a king, don’t be surprised when they act like royalty. Sure, there’s the bulk of the responsibility lies with the individual to control their behavior, but we play a role here, too.
"I've always felt that starting pitching is the most important part of the rotation." - Joe Morgan, Sunday Night Baseball 8-12-07
I honestly feel thats too much
You didn’t hear about this in sports in the ‘50’s and ‘60’s etc. as you do now. Honestly you could take 1696 random employees of any major fortune 500 company and you wouldn’t have a fraction of the crime as you would in the NFL.
"We Are Not Fair Weather But Foul Weather Fans, Brothers In Arms In Streets and The Stands." -Eddie Vedder, Someday We'll Go All The Way
by ryanbrixenivy on May 4, 2008 10:52 PM CDT up reply actions
One,
the ease of access to information is a large part of why we hear about this stuff more now than 40-50 years ago, and two, I think the amount of people with drug problems, illegitimate children, DUI’s, and the like in even a random sampling of 1700 corporate employees would probably surprise you.
"I've always felt that starting pitching is the most important part of the rotation." - Joe Morgan, Sunday Night Baseball 8-12-07
Never heard..
of Ernie Banks electrocuting dogs. But I see your point.
"The one constant through all the years, Ray, has been baseball"
LOL
"I've always felt that starting pitching is the most important part of the rotation." - Joe Morgan, Sunday Night Baseball 8-12-07
Baseball
I’ve always thought he would rather be playing baseball. His head never seemed completely into football.
What the heck
Who doesn’t drink while going boating? While resisting arrest is horrible and what not, boating and drinking seems like a bull excuse for a cop to stop him.
Um, no.
Boating while drunk is extremely dangerous, to the people on the boat and to other boats, just like DUI is. That’s why they have those random stops.
"That's my opinion and if you don't like it, well, I have others." ~ Groucho Marx
Accused
I just want to point out that Benson was arrested for operating a boat while intoxicated and for resisting arrest, but he hasn’t been convicted yet. Let the man have his day in court first. There have been rare incidences where police have lied or fabricated evidence against someone unjustly accused. We weren’t there to witness this event and I think many of these comments are inappropriate.
Yes, boating while intoxicated is very dangerous. Weren’t there a couple pitchers for the Mets killed back in the 90’s in a boating accident with Bobby Ojeda? Oh wait, it was with the Indians. So why in heaven’s name do most states allow open beer on boats?
Check out the mugshot on chicagosports.com
He was definitely drunk.
"I've always felt that starting pitching is the most important part of the rotation." - Joe Morgan, Sunday Night Baseball 8-12-07
So you're concluding that he was drunk from his mugshot?
That’s a little presumptive, don’t you think? Especially considering he got pepper sprayed in the face. I”m not saying that he wasn’t drinking but I know if I got pepper sprayed, sober or not, I’d probably look a lot like that. Minus the dreads.
Ced came out with his version of what happened and is considering filing a lawsuit. He was on his boat with 12 other family members and friends, including his mom. He said he’s taken his boat out twice on this lake and both times he’s been stopped by the police or whatever they call boat cops. Hm.
Over time, your quickness with a cocky rejoinder must have gotten you many punches in the face - Al Swearengen
Here's his mug.
Over time, your quickness with a cocky rejoinder must have gotten you many punches in the face - Al Swearengen
Call me presumptive too
His mom should have definitely cut him off.
Over time, your quickness with a cocky rejoinder must have gotten you many punches in the face - Al Swearengen
Being drunk while boating is dangerous, yes
But having a couple beers while boating isn’t. It is open water in the hot sun. The beer runs right through you, and this is most likely a case of racial profiling. 75% (and I’m being generous here) of cops are dicks and need to have a power trip. I bet this guy is bragging to his buddies at the police station about how he took Benson down and is making him cry for his mom.
unless you're in a row boat
Although, now that I think of it, that could be dangerous too.
Over time, your quickness with a cocky rejoinder must have gotten you many punches in the face - Al Swearengen
Probably the biggest high first round bust since Ryan Leaf
...a horrendous draft error by Angelo. In light of his arrest anything short of his release by the Bears not only will be disappointing but total hypocrisy by Angelo who talks ad nauseam about having character guys on his team.
Felix Pie must play everyday!
Well,
one, if he’s still on the injured list, the Bears can’t cut him; two, he’s got a big cap number (3.4 million * two years), so he’s got to think about whether he wants to have a salary cap penalty like that around the neck of the Bears.
"I've always felt that starting pitching is the most important part of the rotation." - Joe Morgan, Sunday Night Baseball 8-12-07
Benson's Bears career isn't over quite yet....
He’ll never live up to his expectations of where he was drafted but I still think he can contribute to this team/ The Bears won’t cut him, as gary varsho mentioned because of financial reasons. He’s going to get plenty of carries next year and hopefully that line will be better than it was last year. Not many RB’s could’ve ran behind that mess.
Over time, your quickness with a cocky rejoinder must have gotten you many punches in the face - Al Swearengen
Although...
What if he gets suspended? How would that effect the cap hit if cut then? Has Dominique Rhodes been picked up yet? If not, then the Bears need to make their decision ASAP and go after Rhodes if Benson is cut.
Over time, your quickness with a cocky rejoinder must have gotten you many punches in the face - Al Swearengen
I heard
when he ran from the cops, he fell at first contact after 2 yards
For your information, the Supreme Court has roundly rejected prior restraint.
it was the O-Lines fault, not Benson's
I haz show: http://hotbeans.wordpress.com
by digitalbenjamin on May 5, 2008 11:13 AM CDT up reply actions
I dunno.
The o-line WAS awful, but Benson should no burst and was pretty tentative even when the holes were there.
"I've always felt that starting pitching is the most important part of the rotation." - Joe Morgan, Sunday Night Baseball 8-12-07
I'm actually
blaming the o-line for him falling down after 2 yards while being arrested.
I haz show: http://hotbeans.wordpress.com
by digitalbenjamin on May 5, 2008 11:16 AM CDT up reply actions
HA!
That’s pretty good.
I’m sure Fred Miller was flagged for a penalty on the play.
"I've always felt that starting pitching is the most important part of the rotation." - Joe Morgan, Sunday Night Baseball 8-12-07
False Starts
were his specialty! He turned the No. 69 into a bad thing.
I haz show: http://hotbeans.wordpress.com
by digitalbenjamin on May 5, 2008 11:41 AM CDT up reply actions
Hey-OOOOOOO!
"I've always felt that starting pitching is the most important part of the rotation." - Joe Morgan, Sunday Night Baseball 8-12-07
BWB
If you read his side of the Story, the problem may not be BWI (Boating While Intoxicated) but rather may be BWB (Boating While Black). Apparently he has been selected for a “random inspection” 9 times this year. That sure sounds like stereotypical White Texas cops harassing someone for reasons unrelated to conduct.
His boat was anchored at the time. There is no evidence that he was “driving it” at the time. It is not a crime to be on a boat and drunk, even if you own the boat, if you are not operating it. For example;
1. someone gets very very drunk;
2. Their totally sober friend puts them in the backseat of the drunk person’s car and drives them home;
3. They are stopped by a “random” stop on the road;
4. The Copy determines that the owner is drunk.
Is the owner guilty of drunk driving? Of course not, the owner has, frankly, done exactly what society has demanded of him.
Perhaps.
All we know for sure is we have two wildly inconsistent accounts: that of the cops, and that of Cedric Benson. I’m content to withhold judgment (though he looks pretty blazed in that photo, pepper spray or not.) for now and see how this shakes out. What looks like a pattern of harassment, though, could just as easily be a pattern of foolishness on Benson’s part, or on the part of the people he brings on his boat..
"I've always felt that starting pitching is the most important part of the rotation." - Joe Morgan, Sunday Night Baseball 8-12-07
My father and I
get checked all the time while out on lakes fishing. Last time I checked I was a white guy having a quiet time with my white father. we were checked for everything, fire ext, life vests etc etc.
The difference may have been he had a lot of people on the boat and this is a good reason to stop people IMO.
"Hey.....Cubs win!!!" ---Harry
"Swung on belted!!!"---Chip
Benson's lawyer on ESPN 1000 right now.
He’s reiterating Cedric’s account, but here’s a curious nugget: he hasn’t been able to see a police report yet. He’s not denying that Cedric was drinking, but he says Cedric was not intoxicated. Supposedly, the police took Cedric off his boat and he was on their boat, was given some sobriety tests and was asked to go ashore, whereupon he asked to be returned to his boat. On the lawyer’s version, the police officer then put his flashlight down and sprayed Benson with pepper spray. Benson’s legs were then kicked from under him, and the police began to pour water on his face. He was then rolled over, handcuffed, taken to shore and placed in a police vehicle. Again, this is Benson’s lawyer’s account. I still think it’s a little fishy that Benson’s counsel has not been privy to any police report as of yet.
"I've always felt that starting pitching is the most important part of the rotation." - Joe Morgan, Sunday Night Baseball 8-12-07
Right, and what was his blood-alcohol content?
Why haven’t we seen this yet? Something stinks with this and it isn’t the Bears offensive line. Everybody knows that there are a lot of cops out there who think there shit doesn’t stink. I’m going to hold my thoughts until I get more info on this.
So nobody has to see the scroll bar on my posts!!!!
Yeah.
I was pretty ticked at Cedric when I first heard, but the vast gulf between what he’s saying and what the police are saying gives me pause.
"I've always felt that starting pitching is the most important part of the rotation." - Joe Morgan, Sunday Night Baseball 8-12-07
I'm not a
Cedric Benson fan but there are always two sides to every story. I will withhold judgement until complete stories are out.
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