Adversity could spur Cedric Benson

"Nobody recommends getting handcuffed, pepper-sprayed, hosed, kicked and dragged as a means of reviving one's professional career either."
NO! But if you act like a complete a-hole, tossing bases, beating up a dugout w/ a bat, throwing a chair at an opposing player trying to make a free throw, etc., etc., they'll put you in the Hall of Fame.
Waaaaay to many double standards (and hypocrite reporters) in the world of sports.

There are 2 separate issues here:

1) I believe Benson was mistreated by the river authority police(these guys appear to be rogue cops that need to be disciplined) and will be cleared of all charges.

2) Even if Benson uses this to motivate himself, the fact is he is too slow hitting the hole to be effective in the NFL.

Benson! Benson! Benson! I love him!!

Maybe this incident does knock some sense into him. For a least his professional career he may have been taking things for granted. Now that he knows that somethings in life aren't fair but to get past that those problems have to work hard for it, it could turn that light on.

I don't know if he'll ever be a featured back which of course doesn't justify his fourth overall pick selection. But he if can mix it in like his 2006 season, the Bears will be a better team because of it.

If he gains 150 yards and scores 2 touchdowns in a victory against the Colts - he'd win the next mayoral election.

But in the long run—not a term associated much with Benson as a pro—this week's pain could be worth a substantial gain.
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That's pretty funny.
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My old man used to tell me that playing football was 90 percent desire, and 10 percent ability. Nuff said. Good luck Forte.

Had Benson been a man, he would have gone with the officers and taken that breathalyzer test. That would prove he wasn't drunk. But if he \wasn't drunk, why didn't he take the test? What was he afraid of if he wasn't drunk? Now he's hiding behind cries of racism. Its time for Cedric Benson to act like a man and take responsibility for his actions. Cedric's own refusal to stand up and be tested is why he is in this mess.

dan wrote:

There are 2 separate issues here:
1) I believe Benson was mistreated by the river authority police(these guys appear to be rogue cops that need to be disciplined) and will be cleared of all charges.
2) Even if Benson uses this to motivate himself, the fact is he is too slow hitting the hole to be effective in the NFL.

Why didn't Benson take the breathalyzer test when asked to? He could have cooperated with the police, but chose not to. You must ask what was he hiding?

Who says the two so called wittnesses are impartial. The girl is one of his best friends and the guy didn't come out and say anything till 4 days after it happened. How do we know he is not a friend of Bensons. Also the girl never said she saw a single thing, she said she couldn't see the police and Benson on the police boat. What she did say is she saw Benson in hte patrol car and he was scared and that he said you have to get me out of this. Which is what they are trying to do, get him out of this. As for the police being racially motivated, I don't think so. Benson may not be very popular in Chicago, but in texas he is a Longhorn star and they love there football players in texas. Also Austin is not some throw back back water town it is a lot like Evanston lots of former hippies and drunk college kids. It's also highly progressive. Benson is not the only Black athlete in Texas, believe it or not ther are lots of them, how come we are not hearing about them sense Texas is so anti black?? Shouldn't all these guys be getting busted, isn't Tank Johnson in Texas he as priors and a lot of money too, how come he is not gettin busted for being black. All these cops are after black athletes, and what they really want to do is bust former Longhorn stars in Texas for no reason other than they are black. Isn't Lovie from Texas, doesn't he still live there, wy would he live there he is a rich black man and the police must be all over him all the time cause he is black and rich. Gosh it's really strange cause lovie really seems to love Texas even though all the cops there hate black players so much. How strage that most players from Texas talk about how much they loved it there and how well they where always treated. But now Texas is home of the KKK and it's time teach these black players a leason, right and the cops are all KKK members, boy thats texas for you.

I had the same thought this past week before I read this column today. In a weird sort of way, this whole incident might turn things around for Cedric in Chicago. I hope it happens. Cedric was a great and ferocious running back at UT and I've been hoping so much that he would begin to show Chicago what he showed Texas for 4 years.

I'm an avid water sportsman myself. So much so that my own home sits on the beach on the east shore of Upper Peoria lake. And I have personally observed how the new zero tolerance laws have led to abuses by the authorities.

There used to be one patrol boat working both the upper and lower lake, Now there are 5 operating from three separate locations.

Granted the amount of boat traffic has increased dramatically as well over the last 10 years, but you can see these guys out there , lights flashing, boob tube breathalyzer fired up, and just writing violation tickets right and left. Great day for safety right? WRONG!

The amount of boating accidents resulting in serious injury or death has not dropped with the improved patrol. In fact they've increased slightly. And I've seen cases of profiling. Usually around here they go after people they see in an older model boat or a rebuilt and refurbed one. Jet skiers (Because they like to jump barge wakes and it's dangerous, or any boat with a lot of young people on board.

And if I were to judge from my own observations, I'd say it's probably more than reasonable to suggest that Cedric Benson was profiled and harassed by the water patrol. it's not a very pretty picture but it happens nonetheless. Jerry Angelo should probably give him the benefit of the doubt, especially since there appears to be a considerable amount in this case.

Mr. Haugh:

White people will never know what it's like to be a minority ( rich or poor)in America. I love this country and think it's the best place to live but Texas has incarcerated and more innocent blacks than any other State except for maybe Illinois.

If Benson were your son would you still write the judgemental trash that you do about him? Bensons' a kid, the Bears started this business, what's wrong with their ability to assess a players mental and physical ability to succeed in the league? I am glad he held out and got all that he could from the bears because it seems he was smarted than they were.

Curious wrote:

Mr. Haugh:
White people will never know what it's like to be a minority ( rich or poor)in America. I love this country and think it's the best place to live but Texas has incarcerated and more innocent blacks than any other State except for maybe Illinois.
If Benson were your son would you still write the judgemental trash that you do about him? Bensons' a kid, the Bears started this business, what's wrong with their ability to assess a players mental and physical ability to succeed in the league? I am glad he held out and got all that he could from the bears because it seems he was smarted than they were.

Black boaters can never be arrested for drunken boating by white cops. Its always racism even when they refuse to take the breath test.

If police officers arrest a white guy for DUI, the white guy calls the officers a**holes. When the samething happens to a black guy, the officers are called racists. Yea, that's fair. How about having some personal responsiblity for your actions. If you screwed up, you screwed up. People need to stop blaming others just because they can't admit they made a mistake and take the consequences with it.

What you FAIL to see is that you don't have to screw up to be treated like he was treated. I worked in the criminal justice system/club for 5 years in Cook County. I saw first hand how things were handled whether you were black or white.

The system/club convicted a white Italian in the 80's and executed him in the 90's, even though the entire State's Attorney's office knew he was being railroaded.

Creighton wrote:

Who says the two so called wittnesses are impartial. The girl is one of his best friends and the guy didn't come out and say anything till 4 days after it happened. How do we know he is not a friend of Bensons. Also the girl never said she saw a single thing, she said she couldn't see the police and Benson on the police boat. What she did say is she saw Benson in hte patrol car and he was scared and that he said you have to get me out of this. Which is what they are trying to do, get him out of this. As for the police being racially motivated, I don't think so. Benson may not be very popular in Chicago, but in texas he is a Longhorn star and they love there football players in texas. Also Austin is not some throw back back water town it is a lot like Evanston lots of former hippies and drunk college kids. It's also highly progressive. Benson is not the only Black athlete in Texas, believe it or not ther are lots of them, how come we are not hearing about them sense Texas is so anti black?? Shouldn't all these guys be getting busted, isn't Tank Johnson in Texas he as priors and a lot of money too, how come he is not gettin busted for being black. All these cops are after black athletes, and what they really want to do is bust former Longhorn stars in Texas for no reason other than they are black. Isn't Lovie from Texas, doesn't he still live there, wy would he live there he is a rich black man and the police must be all over him all the time cause he is black and rich. Gosh it's really strange cause lovie really seems to love Texas even though all the cops there hate black players so much. How strage that most players from Texas talk about how much they loved it there and how well they where always treated. But now Texas is home of the KKK and it's time teach these black players a leason, right and the cops are all KKK members, boy thats texas for you.

They need to shoot a pig like you and your mother

Race Card wrote:

<quoted text>
Black boaters can never be arrested for drunken boating by white cops. Its always racism even when they refuse to take the breath test.

They need to beat your but and you will have a another view

krebs wrote:

Benson! Benson! Benson! I love him!!

Hmmm...do you have any running backs in Nepal that we could trade you Benson for?

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Mommy!!..... Where's my Mommy???

Nuff said!!!

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Bill wrote:

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Mommy!!..... Where's my Mommy???
Nuff said!!!
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Would like to see how you would like to get pepper sprayed, handcuffed,kicked and hosed down, Your real tough anonymously.