Fears of character issues among Bengal players resurfaced this week with the signing of Tank Johnson and Leon Hall’s DUI charge.
Driving under the influence is going to happen to the best of us as long as people transport themselves to places where alcohol is served. No one (sober) would tell you that driving drunk is ever a good idea, but almost everyone who drinks and has a car has at one time has pushed their legal limits. Leon Hall may not have considered himself all that drunk, but he acted on an illegal impulse and it cost him. It doesn’t make him villain or a scourge on the team, it makes him a young guy who learned a tough lesson the hard way; shit happens.
Tank Johnson, on the other hand, has a history that sounds more like a mobster than a defensive tackle: arrested on two separate guns charges (one of which police discovered two assault rifles and four other firearms in his home), fighting with police and getting maced, employing a body guard who was later murdered – this guy sounds scary! Gun crime is unacceptable and the league should show more intolerance on the issue.
But as a player, Tank’s not a bad signing: he signed at the minimum, he’s only 27, he played all year last year with the Cowboys, he adds depth to the tackle rotation and he’s comfortable with the way Zimmer plans on using him. If he reverts to his gangster-rapper lifestyle, the Bengals can cut him without any financial repercussion – only some PR repercussion, which seems damaged beyond repair anyway.
The way a fan looks at character issues is really an evaluation of that person’s priorities. What’s more important, winning games or safer communities? If you’re concerned that the Bengals are bringing in a man who is lethally dangerous to the Cincinnati area, you have a good point. Then again, if you were worried about having only two decent defensive tackles on the team, then you got what you wanted.
In all honesty, Tank should probably not be allowed to play in the NFL, but if he’s going to, it may as well be here. I just hope nobody gets hurt in the process.
How interesting that it’s Leon Hall who was arrested, yet it’s Tank Johnson that invokes more fear by merely joining the team. This is why fans should try to look at legal incidents involving players on a case-by-case basis, and not group all infractions as the same type of problem for the team.
Mojokong – you can have a gun, but if you break the law in any way with your gun, the state should throw the book at you every time. No leniency on gun crime.
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3 comments:
THe thing about the community being afriad: drunk drivers kill WAY more people than people with guns in the city do. Speaking as a drunk driver, it is something that happens. Most of you reading this blog drink and drive on occasion. Tank Johnson is going to be good for the team. Its a great signing, and as for the fear of his past indescretions, well, they were in the past. Owning lots of guns and leaving them out on your bed is kinda sumb, but lets keep perspective, its not Henry-waiving-his-stolen-gun-around-at-a-cop dumb. And that guy is playing. We all just get to wait and see. And the people who are afraid of these guys being in Cincinnati were afraid long before and will be afraid long after...
The guy has been fine for 2 years... He's a good player, especially in this system... Plus, I have a soft spot for gun owners.
I am sensing good things this coming year defensively, so long as a decent LB is acquired in the draft.
attitude is almost as important as physical girth at this position... thornton was a thinking man's player, cerebral, durable and verbose. tank will assert his dominance with his mouth and a quick temper will scare the bejesus out of interior ol's who can't rely on some fairplaying team captain not taking a cheap shot at them when their back is turned... maybe if the bengal player limo drivers were female and where accompanied by designated drivers that would follow the limo home and stop at some fastfood restaurants and then run in the crib and turn on the stereo equipment and
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