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Cedric Myron Benson (December 28, 1982 – August 17, 2019) was an American professional football player who spent eight years as a running back in the National Football League (NFL) for the Chicago Bears, Cincinnati Bengals and Green Bay Packers. He played college football for the Texas Longhorns and won the Doak Walker Award in 2004. He was selected by Chicago with the fourth overall pick in the 2005 NFL draft.
He was often compared to Williams because of similarities in running style, college choice suspensions, appearance (roughly the same size and build in college, and both with dreadlocks early in their careers) and the fact that they had both been minor-league baseball players.
While at Texas, Benson majored in social work and sociology. He was included on the Texas athletics directors' academic honor roll and the Big 12 commissioner's honor roll in Fall 2003. While in college, Benson was arrested twice, once for possession of marijuana and the other for trespassing. The marijuana case was dropped after a friend claimed responsibility. Benson was sentenced to eight days in jail for the trespassing conviction, but he spent no time in prison because of overcrowding at the Travis County Jail. He was forced to serve a one-half game suspension against Baylor University.
The team temporarily made Thomas Jones their featured running back for the beginning of the 2005 season.Eide, Paul, Bears' starting running back an obvious choice (September 4, 2006), Real Football 365. Retrieved on August 13, 2007. Jones' performance impressed the Bears' coaching staff and earned him the top spot on the team's depth chart for the next two seasons. Benson occasionally received playing time, and he rushed for 80 yards on 16 carries against the New Orleans Saints in his best game. However, shortly after the game, he suffered a medial collateral ligament sprain and missed most of the remaining season.Associated Press, Vasher's 108-yard return lifts Bears over 49ers (November 13, 2005), ESPN. Retrieved on March 22, 2008.
After 2005, the Bears considered making Benson the team's starting running back after Jones was unhappy with his contract status. The team's plans went astray when Benson injured his shoulder after colliding with Brian Urlacher during a routine Exhibition game. Although the injury was not serious, it placed Benson on the sidelines for a majority of the preseason.
Although Benson fully recovered from his injury, head coach Lovie Smith selected Jones as the Bears' starter. Benson scored his first two touchdowns during week five of the 2006 season, against the Buffalo Bills. In a game against the New England Patriots during Week 12, Benson collided with linebacker Junior Seau, causing Seau to fracture his forearm.
Days later, Benson challenged Smith's coaching by remarking that "the NFL is not like high school or college, but the best players don't always get on the field." The following week, Benson outgained Jones and scored a vital touchdown against the Minnesota Vikings. He began to receive more carries as the season progressed and rushed for more than 100 yards against the Green Bay Packers.
Benson became the Bears' secondary running back again during the playoffs. In the 2006 NFC Championship Game against the New Orleans Saints, Benson scored a fourth-quarter touchdown and totaled 60 yards. Although he was given a majority of the team's carries, Jones amassed two touchdowns and 123 rushing yards.Wilner, Barry, Bears 39, Saints 14 (January 22, 2007), Yahoo! Sports. Retrieved on March 21, 2008. In the team's following game, Super Bowl XLI, Benson sustained a knee injury in the first half and missed the remainder of the game.
Smith named Benson as the Bears' starting running back after the team traded Jones to the New York Jets. Benson struggled throughout the preseason but retained his starting position.Mayer, Larry, Veteran offensive linemen believe in Benson (September 5, 2007), chicagobears.com, Retrieved on September 8, 2007. He amassed only 42 yards in his first regular-season game and committed a costly turnover. However, Benson rebounded with a 101-yard performance during his next start. After several inconsistent games, Benson began to stabilize after the bye week. In one of his best games of the season, Benson rushed for 89 yards and scored one touchdown on 11 attempts. He averaged 5.8 yards in his next game but sustained a season-ending ankle injury.Mayer, Larry, Benson insists competing for top job won't faze him (January 8, 2008), chicagobears.com. Retrieved on January 26, 2008. Benson, who had amassed 647 yards and four touchdowns, was eventually relieved by Adrian N. Peterson.
Bears general manager Jerry Angelo had expressed interest in acquiring a new back to revitalize the Bears' running game, which finished last in yards in the league. Upon hearing the news, Benson commented, "You all know the competition that goes on around here. It doesn't matter to me. Maybe somebody else can get some criticism." On June 9, 2008, Benson was released by the Bears following his second alcohol-related arrest in five weeks.
In October 2009, Benson confirmed that shortly before he was released by the Bears, he had been diagnosed with Coeliac disease. against the New York Jets in a 2009 AFC Wild Card game.]] In September 2016, Benson stated that "no year in Chicago was I happy.".
A free agent after the 2008 season, Benson visited with the Houston Texans before signing a two-year, $7-million contract with the Bengals on March 3, 2009.
Entering Week 8 of the 2009 season, Benson had 164 carries for an NFL-best 720 yards (4.4 per carry average). In Week 5, he became the first 100-yard rusher against the Baltimore Ravens in 40 games when he rushed for 120 yards and a touchdown. Bengals Keep RB Benson Yahoo Sports, March 3, 2009 In Week 7, Benson faced his former team, the Chicago Bears, and rushed for a career-high 189 yards and a touchdown.
Benson recorded his first 1,000-yard rushing season and set a Bengals franchise record with six games with more than 100 rushing yards. He finished the season as the NFL's eighth-leading rusher with 1,251 yards despite playing only 13 games. He then set a Bengals postseason record with 169 rushing yards in a 24–14 loss to the New York Jets.
The Bengals declined to resign Benson in 2012. Coach Marvin Lewis later recounted how he explained the decision to Benson: "'Ced, it's not that I didn't think you could do that on the football field, it was the other stuff that I got tired of. When I would go to you and say we're going to rotate the backs and. I don't need that anymore.'"
On October 7, 2012, Benson suffered a Lisfranc injury to his foot and was later placed on injured reserve.
Benson had celiac disease and attributed his adoption of a gluten-free diet to giving him more energy.
After his NFL career, Benson became a Loan origination.
Benson later refuted the charges against him and stated that he had requested to take a follow-up field sobriety test on land after failing the initial one. Benson had further accused the officers of abusing him, stating, "I'm not handcuffed. I'm not under arrest. I'm not threatening him. I'm not pushing him. I'm not touching him. And he sprays me right in the eye." He also asserted that officers continuously struck his ankles and feet to prevent him from walking properly. A female passenger on Benson's boat also claimed to have witnessed the abuse. Upon hearing about the incident, Bears head coach Lovie Smith stated, "I haven't had a chance to speak with Cedric yet, but anytime we're talking about one of our players getting arrested, you're disappointed in it" and added "What we're going to do from here, I'll go back and try to get as much information as I possibly can and go from there."
Benson was arrested for driving while intoxicated in Austin, Texas on June 7, 2008. While returning from a restaurant with his girlfriend, police claimed that Benson drove through a traffic lights and failed a field sobriety test. Police claimed that he later refused to take a breathalyser or blood test to determine his blood alcohol level. Police detained Benson, who was later released on bond. Benson denied the police officers' allegations and insisted that he "aced" the field test. Bears general manager Jerry Angelo commented, "It's unfortunate. Disappointment is too much an often used word when we're talking about Cedric. The No. 1 lesson for every player is protect your job. We're all held accountable for our actions. I'm not going to say any more than that until we know for sure what the facts are." On the following Monday, Benson was waived from the Bears. Angelo commented on the release, stating "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."
Benson was later ordered by a county judge to install an ignition interlock breathalyzer in his car. He was also instructed to attend drug counseling classes. Benson was cleared of all charges in September after appearing before two grand juries in Travis County.
On the second anniversary of Benson's death, his family and the Austin school district launched a mentorship program in his honor at Gus Garcia Young Men's Leadership Academy.
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