Lovie disappointed with Benson's arrest
Arrested RB denies charges, plans to return for workouts
When Cedric Benson spoke with Bears coach Lovie Smith on Sunday afternoon after rookie minicamp concluded, he denied the charges brought against him the night before that he was drunk while boating and resisted arrest.
''He just asked me the details of what happened,'' Benson told the Sun-Times late Sunday. ''I let him know I wasn't drunk and I didn't resist arrest. He stressed to call him first if anything like this happens. He was understanding.''
Smith sounded like a coach short on patience after the workout at Halas Hall. He didn't throw out his well-used line that nobody gets kicked out of the family for one off-the-field indiscretion. Smith said he was ''very disappointed'' and was seeking more information on the incident that has Benson facing two Class B misdemeanors.
The No. 4 overall pick of the 2005 draft knows this is a critical season for him as he works his way back from a fractured left leg suffered in November against the Denver Broncos. He had a plate and screws inserted to stabilize the leg and ankle but says he's in the best shape of his career.
''There's no question about that,'' he said, adding that he anticipates returning for the voluntary offseason workout program Tuesday after tending to some more matters in Texas today.
General manager Jerry Angelo said last week he doesn't know if Benson can be the featured back the team once hoped and cited that as one of the reasons the club used its second-round pick on Matt Forte.
''I didn't think much about it,'' Benson said of Forte's selection. ''I don't make any decisions. If they feel that's what they need to do to help improve the team and be better, I'm all for it. I'm not worried about [a competition]. As long as there is a competition, it's all good.''
Forte was the most impressive player during the non-contact camp, although it's a showcase for skill-position players. All weekend he danced around the idea of competing with Benson for time, showing poise in the face of some pointed questions.
''I'm just here to create competition,'' Forte said. ''We're a team. It's not like we're one against another person. I'm just trying to make everybody better, as well as myself.''
The Bears' best-case scenario was for Forte to form a 1-2 punch with Benson like the club had when he paired with Thomas Jones. The injury put Benson's future in question, and he knows this incident didn't help.
''I was not intoxicated,'' Benson said. ''There was alcohol on the boat and others were enjoying themselves, but I wasn't drunk. It's not like my boat was over the passenger limit or anything, either. It's a 37-foot boat. Every time I go out there, I get pulled over.''