Running Back Cedric Benson charged with assault for a bar fight : Cincinnati Bengal News
It seems that Cedric Benson, the American football running back for the Cincinnati Bengals of the National Football League, just can’t help staying out of the headlines for all the wrong reasons. The 27 year old star football player was charged today for assaulting a man at a club last month.
According to the police, Benson was being escorted out of a club after he had already been engaged in a different fight with a person present at the club. Cedric’s lawyers maintain that the version of events described by the Austin police is not strictly accurate.
Cedric on a previous occasion had been arrested in Austin. According to authorities, the club incident took place on the 30th of May at around 2 am in the aftermath of a fight with an unknown person. When the club staff intervened to break up the scuffle, Cedric pushed a manager in an effort to continue the fight he was just engaged in. Before he was taken outside, the arrest affidavit said, Cedric spit blood at one of the employees at the club from his cut lip, according to the affidavit.
Employees prevented him from entering the club again at which point Cedric complained, according to employee Brian White claimed “all these white boys are ganging up on me and kicking me out.” Then Mr. White was punched by Cedric in the face which threw white backwards.
This isn’t the first time Cedric has been in trouble with the law. Apparently, he has learned from his previous mistakes. He reported on saying that he doesn’t mean to get into trouble in the first place. What he really learned was to refrain from making statement to the press after incidents like these. He has been unavailable for comments and the only statements are coming from his lawyer, Sam Bennet and David Cornwell. Bennet released a written statement saying that Benson did not agree with the version of events described in the affidavit.
Bennet said that Cedric Benson was willing to give his statement to the police in the presence of his lawyer. The Austin police however obtained a warrant for his arrest without taking his statement. On Tuesday, Austin police arrested Benson before 8 am from his residence in Austin before his release from Travis county jail.
Defending Benson alongside Bennet is attorney David Cornwell. Cornwell also released a statement providing more details about the event from the perspective of Cedric Benson.
According to that statement, female fans present at the club asked to be photographed with Cedric, to which a man, possibly an acquaintance of the females, expressed displeasure and an ‘altercation’ ensued. As Cedric was leaving the club, he was approached by another man who he could not identify as one of the club employees. Cedric simply tried to defend himself from this person approaching him. The statement also added that Cedric called the police immediately after the incidence and left after giving a statement to the officers on scene.
Cedric was contacted by the Austin Police when he was in Cincinnati two weeks ago. He agreed to an interview in person whenever he returned to Texas. The detective, however, never called Cedric again, according to the statement.
Cornwell’s statement said that his lawyers dispute the claim that Cedric’s actions were unlawful in anyway but added that Cedric would be cooperating fully with the Austin police, the Cincinnati Bengals and the NFL in any investigations.
The maximum sentence for assault with injury conviction, class A misdemeanour, is one year and 4000 dollars fine. Cedric has been charged with another class A misdemeanour for criminal trespassing, as he kicked down a door attempting to retrieve his stolen TV, while he was at the University of Texas. Cedric signed a plea deal following the incident paying a 1000 dollars fine and 500 dollars in restitution. On two occasions, Cedric has also been arrested for alcohol related incidents.
Tags: