It has been a miserable offseason for all NFL fans. The Cincinnati Bengals perhaps have had it a little bit worse with the daily talk of Carson Palmer wanting to leave the team. At least Palmer isn't being arrested every other day, which seems to be a common occurrence for Bengals players. Pacman Jones was arrested for disorderly conduct and resisting arrest last week. One of their safeties was arrested on Thursday. This morning, it was running back Cedric Benson.
Bengals running back Cedric Benson has been arrested and charged with "assault, causing bodily injury to a family member" Sunday morning. A Class-A misdemeanor. The Class-A misdemeanor was first reported by Ricky Doyle of Your News Now. The incident occurred early Sunday morning and Benson was booked at 6:42 a.m. (local time) in Travis County, Texas. This is Benson's fourth arrest. The running back recently had another trial postponed until August from a memorial day weekend assault at a Texas nightclub in 2010.
Benson is set to be a free agent, but there is a good chance that the team will try to retain him as their starter since they really don't have many other options ready.
Cincy Jungle talks about the Bengals' options and what the league may consider once the lockout ends:
Yet even if the Bengals sign Benson, they'll have to be aware that NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell could drop the hammer on the running back with at least a four-game suspension. While the incident in Austin, Texas last year is largely believed to be in self-defense, the an alleged assault on a family member could have far-ranging consequences. That alone could force the Bengals to look someplace else for a starting running back, with names like DeAngelo Williams, Ronnie Brown and Darren Sproles possibly available.