Free Cedric Benson
Cedric Benson who has repeatedly been in legal trouble his entire career has a legitimate beef this time both with the NFL and NFLPA and I for one am hoping he prevails. His current 3 game suspension which he is appealing should be lifted immediately without question by the NFL. While, I do not support the “bad behavior” he is guilty of and has served time in jail for, it is clear that this incident he is being suspended for occurred during the four and half month lock-out by the NFL and at time when he was not represented by his union, the NFLPA.
The NFL should not and would not have jurisdiction over locked out players and their behavior during that time period. However, 8 players including Cedric Benson of a total of 33 players who incurred legal problems during the 4 and a half month lock-out were served up to Mr. Goodell and the NFL as part of the settlement agreement. Now, Cedric Benson is facing a 3 game suspension, including docking his salary over a matter that was settled in court and for which he served a jail sentence and for an incident that occurred during the lock-out and at a time when there was no players union.
The NFLPA , ” the union” which disbanded during the lock out and was not representing Mr. Benson during the time period of the incident, has offered him up along with 7 other players to the NFL, “the employers”, who had locked the players out. after the fact, as if either organization had jurisdiction over him and sanctioned him for his actions as part of the settlement agreement. There is no legal basis for the suspension or the betrayal by his union and if he, Mr. Benson is forced to miss games and salary I would think he has a very legitimate claim against both the NFL and NFLPA. Neither body had any say over his behavior during that time period other than local authorities, who made their own case against Mr. Benson.
Again, while I do not condone Benson’s actions, he has been punished in the location of the crime he committed and at a time when he was not a member of the players union nor was he employed by the NFL. This is just a blatant case of over reaching and it is completely inappropriate. Fair is Fair and this is not fair Mr. Goodell.
Free Cedric Benson!
B.I.G. ( Bombastic Industries Group )
BombasticView 
I gotta say I agree with you (for a change) and he should not be punished by the NFL for misbehavior that happened during the lockout. This kind of over reaching has always disturbed me, even when my kids were in high school and the school had a policy of punishing them for “hearsay” behavior off campus and after school hours. To me, that’s “big brother” scary shit. BUT I have to ask, why do these big lugs always get themselves into so much trouble? Why can’t the NFL spend more time grooming these young men to become better citizens and less time milking them for the their physical talents? It would seem to me that if they have a policy that reaches to the players’ off season behavior then they should have a policy to work with them 24/7 to help them stay out of trouble. Everyone of these guys can afford a shrink, a life coach, a counselor, a baby sitter and driver… whatever it takes to grow them up. I blame the NFL and all the other professional sports organizations that drop millions of dollars on young men and then tell them to behave. Talk about far reaching!
September 28, 2011 at 3:59 PM