“Now what you know about them Texas boys…” — Pimp C
After Vince Young threw hands at a strip club, Cedric Benson has decided he wants in on the Texas infamy. Benson, coming off an incredible comeback season that virtually no one anticipated, was arrested and charged with assault today. He stands accused of punching a bar employee in the face; the American-Statesman has more details:
The 27-year-old current running back for the Cincinnati Bengals had been involved in an altercation at the establishment and was being escorted out when he punched an employee, according to an arrest affidavit.
The affidavit said the May 30 incident began at 1:50 a.m. when a fight began between Benson and an unknown person inside the bar. Club staff separated them, at which time Benson shoved a manager “in an attempt to continue the fight he was previously engaged in,” the affidavit said.
The affidavit said Benson spit blood from his injured lip at a bar employee.
Workers then asked Benson several times to leave.
“Benson refused, and was escorted out of the bar,” the affidavit said.
Outside, the affidavit said employees tried to prevent him from going back in. At that point, he punched “with his right fist to the left side” of an employee’s face, causing the employee to stumble backwards.
Cedric Benson has already been run out of one town (Chicago) because he couldn’t stay out of trouble, or stay away from the appearance of trouble. In step the Cincinnati Bengals, known for their willingness to take chances on players who’ve gained the “troublemaker” tag, and with this fresh start Benson was a man possessed, actually leading the league in rushing before getting injured/Chris Johnson’d. Now, he seems like he may be settling back into his old ways, possibly because he’s regained some semblance of success. When he was on his way out the league after not living up to his fairly sizable expectations, there was a hunger and a desire to change the public’s perception of him; now it’s back to post-draft rookie season brashness?
I wouldn’t be surprised to see Benson undergo NFL-mandated alcohol counseling; after the DUIs and the scuffle aboard the party boat, fighting two people in a bar has got to be the lightbulb. Most of his problems occur when alcohol is present. There’s no word as to whether he was drinking when the latest incident occurred, but it’s not an unfair assumption that he would have been. Libations impair everyone’s judgement to different degrees, and some folks are better off leaving the sauce out of their life entirely. Perhaps Benson is a member of that camp. Here’s to hoping he gets some help and continues the success he has on the field; he could do a year in jail because of this latest dustup, and that wouldn’t benefit his stated goal of “becoming a better Cedric Benson.”