Following up on the reports this morning that Bears running back Cedric Benson was arrested in Texas, more details have now emerged.
The Chicago Tribune reports that Benson failed a sobriety “float test,” which is similar to a field sobriety test that drivers take. Benson also reportedly argued about taking a follow-up test on land and refused to put on a life jacket. The report says that when police attempted to arrest Benson, he refused to cooperate and was pepper sprayed.
Benson was charged with boating while intoxicated and resisting arrest, both Class B misdemeanors.
The Chicago Sun-Times reports that Benson, who was on his 30-foot boat with 12 to 15 others, is out on $14,500 bail.
The incident took place near Austin, Texas, where Benson played at the University of Texas. The Tribune reports that a sergeant from the Travis County Sheriff’s office says the Lower Colorado River Authority made the arrest.
After off-field trouble at Texas, including a marijuana arrest, led some to compare him to fellow former Longhorns running back Ricky Williams, Benson appeared on the cover of ESPN the Magazine declaring “I’m Not Ricky!“









May 4th, 2008 at 12:40 pm
You certainly aren’t Ricky there, Ced Ben. In fact, you aren’t even close to the talent that he is.
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Rating: 2.5 / 5 with 2 rating(s)
May 4th, 2008 at 12:42 pm
Don’t spray me, bro’!
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Rating: 3.5 / 5 with 4 rating(s)
May 4th, 2008 at 12:53 pm
“Im not Ricky”,,, no you arent-ricky is a better running back
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May 4th, 2008 at 12:55 pm
Why do they need pepper spray? Everyone knows he can’t break any tackle.
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Rating: 4.8 / 5 with 10 rating(s)
May 4th, 2008 at 12:56 pm
maybe he should concentrate on becoming an NFL running back - which is what he is paid to do (and what enabled him to buy/rent that boat in the first place.
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Rating: 4.5 / 5 with 2 rating(s)
May 4th, 2008 at 12:56 pm
Nope, he’s sure isn’t Ricky. Ricky Williams rushed for 1800 yards in a single season once.
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Rating: 1 / 5 with 1 rating(s)
May 4th, 2008 at 12:58 pm
He even sucks off the field.
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Rating: 4.75 / 5 with 8 rating(s)
May 4th, 2008 at 1:04 pm
āIām Not Ricky!ā In hindsight it’s obvious that Ricky Williams was blazed when doing interviews and chose to wear a tinted helmet when addressing the media. It explains the paranoid martian voice he sometimes would break into. He never achieved his full potential, but he at least has shown flashes of what he is capable of. Cedric Benson has been a bust. The fact that Chicago passed on Mendenhall is as baffling as their decsion to NOT draft a QB. Benson had 674 yards in 11 games with 4 TDs and 3 fumbles last year. Now this?
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May 4th, 2008 at 1:05 pm
Too bad Lance Briggs wasn’t with him, he could have figured out a way to abandon the boat and tell the cops it was stolen until they both sobered up.
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Rating: 5 / 5 with 6 rating(s)
May 4th, 2008 at 1:15 pm
If they send him to Vicks prison, then they can play the guards on ESPN 2! (Great movie!)
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Rating: 4 / 5 with 1 rating(s)
May 4th, 2008 at 1:21 pm
i didn’t know there was any other way to be on a boat besides being drunk…excuse me, CRUNK! as cedric probably called it while being pepper sprayed.
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May 4th, 2008 at 1:33 pm
What a sorry excuse for a human being!
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Rating: 1.75 / 5 with 4 rating(s)
May 4th, 2008 at 1:35 pm
Ced,
Thanks for giving me the #1 RB job as a rookie…
Matt Forte
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Rating: 4 / 5 with 5 rating(s)
May 4th, 2008 at 1:36 pm
That’s hot, literally.
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May 4th, 2008 at 1:56 pm
Cedric Benson is currently a RB for the Bears.
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Rating: 1 / 5 with 1 rating(s)
May 4th, 2008 at 2:10 pm
Big, dumb jock gets pepper sprayed in face. Now comes the part where we all throw our heads back and laugh.
Ready?
1…
2…
3…
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!
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Rating: 2 / 5 with 2 rating(s)
May 4th, 2008 at 2:11 pm
Drunky boating …. and without a life preserver. Somebody attach a floatie to him!!!
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Rating: 5 / 5 with 1 rating(s)
May 4th, 2008 at 2:27 pm
let’s see if I have this right he was on a boat with 12-15 other people and he was the only one arrested?it would not have anything to do with the fact he was the only one that was an nfl player could it?he did put on a life jacket so they pepper sprayed him?glad to see there are no more important crimes in texas than this to worry about.m
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Rating: 1.5 / 5 with 4 rating(s)
May 4th, 2008 at 3:08 pm
Cedric,
Only fools drive a boat drunk,
Eric Steinbach
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May 4th, 2008 at 3:15 pm
At least Ricky Williams was a good — make that great — football player. He ought to be begging “to be Ricky.”
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Rating: 3.5 / 5 with 2 rating(s)
May 4th, 2008 at 3:46 pm
I would’ve tasered him instead!
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Rating: 4 / 5 with 1 rating(s)
May 4th, 2008 at 3:53 pm
Cygnus x-1…if you were driving your van drunk with 8 other drunk people in the car, you’d be arrested too. Regarding the other people on the boat, being drunk ain’t a crime.
Benson has been known to get out of prior situations when he was at Texas. The fact he got popped for this one is actually surprising, but I also commend those cops for doing their jobs.
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Rating: 5 / 5 with 1 rating(s)
May 4th, 2008 at 4:01 pm
No Love Boat references?
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May 4th, 2008 at 4:51 pm
So in all seriousness, is there any likelyhood of him playing this year? Is Forte now the starter?
Also, I wonder if Bear throw some money at Shaun ALexander now.. hmmmmmmm
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May 4th, 2008 at 5:22 pm
What’s wrong with driving a boat when drunk?
Bob Ojeda
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