Bengal’s Benson will not be suspended
Cincinnati Bengals running back Cedric Benson will not be disciplined by the National Football League for his involvement in an altercation on 30 May in Texas. Benson was charged with a misdemeanour assault for allegedly punching a bar employee in the face.
Commissioner Roger Goodell made the decision not to punish Benson based on his conversations with him. "Cedric expressed to us his understanding that NFL players have a special responsibility to meet high standards of conduct," Goodell said. "Like most public figures, Cedric and other NFL players occasionally may find themselves facing risks that other individuals do not. They must exercise good judgment and restraint when confronted with those risks.”
Benson has faced criminal charges in the past and was arrested twice in 2008 on alcohol charges that were later dismissed. Both the Bengals and Benson were patiently waiting for the league's final decision on the matter since Benson is such a vital part of Cincinnati’s offence.
According to the police, Benson was at a bar in Texas when he and an employee got into a heated altercation that left Benson with a bloody lip. After staff intervened, witnesses told police that Benson pushed a worker and was increasingly becoming agitated. After his violent outburst, the running back was asked to leave and was escorted to the door.
After gathering all the facts from the case, Goodell opted not to discipline the running back and urged him to use better judgment. "Cedric said he recognizes this and has committed to working hard to make better decisions and avoid any further incidents," Goodell said. "We support him and expect him to be successful in meeting this commitment."
No one inside the Bengals organization believed that Benson would be suspended—not for one second. So the decision didn't surprise Benson, although he was relieved. Now it’s back to camp and he can just focus on football.
"A lot of questions came up and everyone was wondering," Benson said, following practice Friday afternoon. "We had a good discussion. I didn't think a suspension would come about afterward, but I was curious to see what his final decision would be. Here we go off to the season and I'll be out there for week one."
Benson resurrected his career as well as the Bengals’ running attack that was virtually nonexistent prior to his arrival. In 2009, Benson ran for over a 1000 yards and was the backbone for Cincinnati’s offence.
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