Cedric Benson Released by Bears Following Second DUI

Cedric Benson was drafted in 2005 to be a franchise-changing running back. He had me, ignoring his draft-day tears, believing in the hype. He had me defending him after his lackluster play and his first DUI charge. Of course, he had head coach Lovie Smith and general manager Jerry Angelo doing the same--and I'm guessing here--on a larger scale. All of these issues came to a head Monday following Benson's second DUI arrest in a month.

How would Smith and Angelo handle the situation? They stopped defending him. On Monday, the Bears placed Cedric Benson on waivers, effectively cutting ties with their distractions.

In a statement to the media, Angelo announced the move.

"Cedric displayed a pattern of behavior we will not tolerate. As I said this past weekend, you have to protect your job. Everyone in this organization is held accountable for their actions. When individual priorities overshadow team goals, we suffer the consequences as a team. Those who fail to understand the importance of 'team' will not play for the Chicago Bears."

Maybe things would have been different if Benson had produced on the field. Instead, Benson rushed for only 1,593 yards in three seasons. When the Bears organization gift-wrapped the starting job for Benson by trading Thomas Jones, Benson responded with a season which only confirmed suspicions: he was a bust.

Now, the Bears are left with rookie running back Matt Forte, drafted in the second round out of Tulane, and longtime backup "Chicago-Adrian" Peterson battling it out for the starting position. Hey, Minnesota, that sounds like some yards, doesn't it?