NFL Crime Blotter Stays Active

NFL Crime Blotter Stays Active

Both the Atlanta Falcons and Chicago Bears have been stressing the issue of character to their players and for good reason. The Falcons want to forget the Michael Vick fiasco and never relive it. The Bears had more than their fill of off the field problems with defensive lineman Tank Johnson, and they released him. Apparently, the talks about character were lost on Falcons linebacker Michael Boley and Bears running back Cedric Benson. On Saturday, both players were arrested.

Boley allegedly became physical with his wife after she confronted him about cheating on her, which obviously led to an argument. Boley was going to leave but his wife took his car keys because he had been drinking earlier in the day. When she refused to speak to him further, Boley pushed her against a living room wall, threw her over a couch and tried to push her outside. As she tried to fight him off, he pushed her into a kitchen cabinet door, causing a bruise on her back. Boley was charged with battery and released on $1,200 bond.

Benson was arrested by police near Austin, Texas and charged with boating while intoxicated and resisting arrest. Benson allegedly failed a sobriety test during a random safety inspection, then argued over taking a follow-up test on land and refused to put on a life jacket. Officers said they attempted to arrest Benson but that he refused to cooperate and was pepper-sprayed. He was taken to Travis County Jail and released on $14,500 bond Sunday. Benson denies that he was intoxicated and insists he cooperated fully with police, who he says, pepper-sprayed him, then once they got him on land  they kicked his feet out from under him and sprayed him with a water hose before dragging him to their police car. The police report only clouds the incident even further. According to the report, Benson was profane, but polite and combative yet cooperative. Draw your own conclusion on which account is more truthful, but the Chicago brass has openly questioned if Benson is really the back of the future, and this incident does nothing to help his cause. 

Cincinnati Bengals linebacker Ahmad Brooks faces fourth-degree assault charges after allegedly punching a woman and temporarily knocking her unconscious in Florence, Kentucky. The woman was reportedly trying to break up an agrument between Brooks and her neighbors when Brooks punched her in the left eye. For the Bengals, it appears that brushes with the law are not yet behind them even after releasing wide receiver Chris Henry after he was arrested for a fifth time. But it goes without saying that some fault must lie with the team for the seemingly endless string of legal problems they've had. Brooks, like Henry, came into the league with some excess baggage. He was kicked off the Virginia football team for numerous off-the-field incidents by coach Al Groh. But yet the Bengals still spent a third round pick on him in the 2006 Supplemental Draft. The Bengals gambled on players like Henry, Brooks, A,J. Nicholson and Odell Thurman and they've lost badly.

Not to be outdone in the female abuse department, Detroit Lions safety Kalvin Pearson was booked on two felony and one misdemeanor charges after a domestic incident last weekend in Tampa. Pearson was charged with aggravated battery of a pregnant female, domestic battery by strangulation and resisting an officer without violence. The victim in the incident is pregnant with Person's child. Pearson allegedly began choking the woman in his car, then fled the scene. When the police arrived and spotted Pearson, he tried to run away but was apprehended.  One has to wonder exactly what is going through a person's mind (if they actually have one that functions) when they physically assault a woman who is pregnant with their unborn infant.

And last, but certainly not least is the shooting incident outside of a bar in North Philadephia owned by Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Marvin Harrison. Police are not viewing Harrison as a suspect at this point in time. A man and a young child were injured in the shooting but their injuries are not life threatening, according to authorities. Some reports say the gun used in the shooting belongs to Harrison, but police will not confirm whether or not the gun is his. And Harrison has not been arrested or charged with any crime. But considering his lofty status in the league, it is not surprising the amount of attention the incident has received. And until police confirm that Harrison was involved in the shooting or even that the firearm was actually his, maybe the most responsible thing for the media to do is just report that there was a shooting outside his bar and that two people were injured.