Bill Begley: So far, Cedric Benson fortunate to be no average Joe
Posted On: Monday, Jun. 9 2008 02:13 AM
If Cedric Benson is still employed today, it says a lot about what needs to be said about sports today.
Or, at least, what needs to be said about the chasm separating the sports world from the real world.
It is deep and wide and no amount of cosmetic "no-tolerance" preening will change that.
Put it this way: If an average Joe had the same kind of hard-luck month the Chicago Bears' running back has had this summer, said average Joe would be handed a pink slip during his rapid and unceremonious trip toward the door.
That is "no tolerance" – not the PR-driven suspensions of the NFL's get-tough stance – and probably what should happen to the former University of Texas star, all things considered.
Yes, yes – innocent-until-proven-guilty and all that. But with Saturday's early morning arrest for suspicion of driving while intoxicated in Austin, the latest in Benson's growing collection of "misunderstandings," including an arrest for the same charge less than a month ago while driving a boat on Lake Travis, it's not so much provable guilt as proven stupidity that merits giving the Longhorns' No. 2 career rusher a one-way ticket to Has-Been-Ville.
Or, considering the fact that a lot of undrafted free agents could have produced the same numbers as Benson – less than 1,600 rushing yards since Chicago took him with its No. 1 draft pick in 2005 – and for a whole lot less money, maybe the more appropriate new address should be Never-Was-Ville.
Either way, what it comes down to is Benson – were he blessed with an iota of common sense and the ability to recall and retain the lessons of a number of reported (and, reportedly, unreported) transgressions – should have known better.
He didn't have to do anything wrong, but that's not the point.
He just had to look like he was doing something wrong.
It's the whole looks-like-a-duck theory: Get in trouble often enough and, no matter the facts, one becomes a problem child.
In any other profession, that generally means a change of occupation (along with, possibly, a change of name and nose).
In sports, it means a change of focus (read: lot of charity work to "spin" said athlete's image) and a change of uniform.
Voila – a new man, with a new contract and the right to say, "I'm not focused on the past, I'm only looking ahead," when asked to answer for any transgressions, and to do so with a straight face.
An overstatement?
Then explain the fact that Adam "Pacman" Jones – he of the extended vacation while serving an NFL "no-tolerance" suspension – is practicing with the Cowboys this week in Irving, while the manager of the strip club that hosted the All-Pro defensive back's Las Vegas shoot-'em-up is back home in Nevada learning how to live the rest of his life in a wheelchair.
Think some NFL team would hesitate to pick up Michael Vick, were the PETA Public Enemy No. 1 somehow able to get released from his current accommodations in Leavenworth?
True enough, everyday Joes have many of the same woes and don't have to live with the constant scrutiny or pressure of elite athletes.
But then, everyday Joes don't get seven- and eight-figure signing bonuses, either.
What Benson needs to realize – before it's too late – is there are a few elite people in the world blessed with the opportunity to make a hard-to-fathom living by playing a kids' game for a short amount of time.
Considering his tenuous personal history – and tepid on-the-field performance – even the appearance of impropriety is ridiculously reckless and ill-advised.
What happened in the wee-hours Saturday did nothing more than undermine his position with his current team and teammates, as well as his fans here in Texas, and make his explanation of the boating incident seem all the more implausible.
And, saddest of all, it would have been a non-issue with a little well-considered thought.
Not to mention a cab ride.
Bill Begley is an assistant managing editor at the Herald. Contact him at
bbegley@kdhnews.com or (254) 501-7463.