I know there are more Bears fans then just me here. I can't believe it wasn't until recently I've read all of this stuff on him. By the time its all said and done I'll be happy if he is the same amount of distraction Ricky is, because I could see him being worse.... I don't even want him to sign. Thomas Jones and Adrian Peterson are good enough...
http://www.chicagomediamonitor.com/b...24/612565.html
Cedric Benson,
by
Steven Skaggs at 12:28AM (CDT) on April 24, 2005 |
Since the NFL draft has me in a football frame of mind (although I must confess, I am still pumped about the Sox extra-innings win in Kansas City Saturday night), here are a few NFL items.
*I'm probably being paranoid, but does anyone else have the feeling that Bears draftee Cedric Benson may be troubled, hypersensitive, and have difficulty dealing with the media (not unlike another dreadlocked former collegiate superstar running back from Texas)? Here are some things to consider (read every word of each article before making a judgment):
*
From Bill Frisbee of InsideTexas.com: Benson told ESPN that certain NFL coaches and scouts attempted to "degrade me" and "manipulate me" during the past few months before adding, "I thought the (NFL scouting) process was a big slap in the face for everything that I've done and the way I've carried myself. There's no respect for what you've done, but obviously the Bears believe in me and we're going to get some things done in Chicago."
*
From Stewart Doreen of the Midland Reporter Telegram: Benson has idolized [Ricky] Williams from afar since his early football days at Abell Junior High. In fact, Benson's long dreadlocks that he sported during his college days were inspired by Ricky.
"I idolized Ricky Williams for what he did on the field. I don't endorse anything he has done beyond that," Benson said. "It was time for the hair to go. It's now time to put kiddie things behind me and move on. It's all business now and time to get serious.
"But don't get me wrong. I still think the hair was cool. I still like the dreads and I have them in my bathroom. I still go by and look at them every once in a while."
*
From Rick Morrissey of the Tribune: Benson is a workhorse as a running back, but he also was the guy who kicked down a door, trying to retrieve a plasma TV someone allegedly had stolen from him. He's the guy who was arrested for possession of marijuana and the guy who saw those charges dropped. He's the guy who last year said that he would rather win the Heisman Trophy than beat Oklahoma, Texas' archrival.
*
From Bill Wolverton of the Rockford Register Star: Bears director of college scouting Greg Gabriel called the character issue overblown, a monster created by the media. But if it was created by the media, why did Benson say NFL personnel people treated him "Like I had murdered somebody or something." CHARACTER IS an issue in the NFL, especially when you hand over millions of dollars to a guy who seemed to have trouble dealing with a $250,000 signing bonus from the L.A. Dodgers, a team he later quit on.
...ESPN The Magazine ran a story where Benson said the reason he sat alone on the bench and watched walk-ons and scout-team players celebrate a Rose Bowl win over Michigan wasn't to bask in the joy of others: "It amused me to see them get so excited like that because they really didn't do anything."
Everything in Benson's past suggests he's an odd young man with questionable judgment.
*
From David Haugh of the Tribune: Asked about the quality of that character during a bizarre, combative teleconference minutes after the Bears drafted him, Benson bristled. The first stiff-arm of his Bears career would be to the Chicago media.
"Quality character, what is quality character?" he asked.
A reporter replied that it described someone who would not get arrested or cause problems.
"I'm not a kid, I'm not a troublemaker, I don't like to run in the streets, I'm not 12," Benson said. "I'm an adult now, I'm in an adult business and I have to carry myself like that. I understand that. That's what I do. I don't want to embarrass myself or my family or my organization."
