Benson may have run out of options with new DUI arrest

Cedric Benson's latest arrest, early Saturday morning in Austin, Texas, for DUI, seems to indicate that he has failed to learn a most important lesson, according to Bears' general manager Jerry Angelo.

"The No. 1 lesson of every player is protect your job," an irritated Angelo said Saturday at the the Bears' Fan Expo at Soldier Field. "We're all held accountable for our actions. There was alcohol involved; that's all we know. We are certainly going to take this seriously. Disappointment is too much an often-used word when we're talking about Cedric."

According to Austin police spokeswoman Veneza Aguinaga, Benson was pulled over Saturday morning between 3 a.m. and 4 a.m. for running a red light, and he refused to take a Breathalyzer or provide blood samples. He was arrested in downtown Austin after he failed a field sobriety test.

Benson, who rushed for 5,540 yards and 64 touchdowns at the University of Texas in Austin, was released from Travis County Jail shortly before 9 a.m. on $2,000 bond.

The latest arrest comes 35 days after the 25-year-old running back was charged with boating while intoxicated and resisting arrest on Lake Travis, which is near Austin. He has disputed both of those charges, as have at least two witnesses.

At that time, Angelo said he was disappointed that Benson put himself in a situation to become a victim and talked to Benson about that. Angelo, who had not talked to Benson as of late Saturday morning, said he was disappointed that the running back put himself in a similar situation so soon.

"It doesn't weigh well," Angelo said. "It's unfortunate and we will deal with it once we know everything. I am very surprised that he put himself in this situation after our last visit."

Benson attended last weekend's minicamp and has participated in most of the organized team activities, where he has been utilized as first-team running back.

The fourth overall draft pick in 2005, Benson has lost about 10 pounds since last season and appears quicker than in the past, despite a fractured ankle that sidelined him for the final five games last season.

Benson, however, was a major disappointment last season, rushing for only 674 yards on 196 attempts and averaging a career-worst 3.4 yards per carry. To create competition at the position, the Bears used their second-round draft pick this year on Tulane's Matt Forte. He was expected to challenge Benson, not just for playing time, but for the starting job. In light of Benson's latest arrest, Forte may get the job by default.

"I'm not going to sit here and tell you that we're not extremely disappointed and frustrated with this," Angelo said. "Anybody would be in this situation. But we will get together as a group (and) make sure that we hear all sides before we do anything."

A year ago the Bears cut defensive tackle Tank Johnson after he was arrested for "suspicion of DUI," following some embarrassing off-the-field incidents that included arrests on weapons and drug charges.

The Bears may not have the luxury of cutting Benson immediately, since Forte has yet to be signed. Career backup Adrian Peterson appears to be only an afterthought in the run game, and Garrett Wolfe, last year's third-round pick from Northern Illinois University, is considered a situational substitute at best.

It's questionable, however, whether Benson will still be a Bear for the Sept. 9 season opener against the Indianapolis Colts, or even by the start of training camp on July 22.

A lot could depend on the outcome of Benson's June 30 court date regarding the May 3 arrest, which took place on his 30-foot boat. Authorities say he resisted arrest and they had to use pepper spray to subdue him. Benson says he did not resist and that officers used excessive and unnecessary force.

"There was no resistance on my part," Benson told a Chicago Tribune reporter. "Was I drunk? No. Once we got to land, the Travis County police grabbed me and kicked my feet from under me. So I landed on my back while I was handcuffed. They held me down and held the water hose over my face. I couldn't breathe, I'm choking, I'm begging the cops, 'Please stop. Please stop.' Then they picked me up and dragged me backward toward their car. And I'm still being polite, asking them, 'Sir, could you please allow me to walk like a man to your cop car?' They just kept dragging me on."

Bears coach Lovie Smith denied that players were taking advantage of Smith's reputation of being a players' coach, which some have suggested is too permissive.

"It's not a perfect world," Smith said. "It's not a perfect world in your world or mine. And you realize when things come up like that, you just look at the big picture. And that's what we do.

"Will we give guys the benefit of the doubt? Sure we will, like everyone else in society gets the benefit of the doubt. And that's how we do things," Smith continued. "There comes a point, though, where you have to make decisions. It always plays itself out and this one will too."

In 2003, when he was a standout for the Texas Longhorns, Benson was sentenced to eight days in jail on a misdemeanor trespassing charge after breaking down the door to an apartment where he believed his stolen plasma TV was located. A year earlier he was arrested for marijuana possession in his hometown of Midland, Texas, but that charge was dropped when he passed a drug test.

In three years with the Bears, Benson has rushed for 1,593 yards and 10 touchdowns, averaging 3.8 yards per carry. He also has missed 13 games with a variety of injuries, including a separated shoulder, sprained knee (twice) and fractured ankle.