Should Tank Johnson Be Playing Sunday?

[Clarence the Blue Puppet]

I SAY NO!!!!

 

http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/story/6430112

 

MIAMI - Tank Johnson said the only people he has ever hurt belong to the ranks of quarterbacks and running backs. In fact, the longer you listen to the Bears' defensive tackle, the more he sounds like a kind and gentle soul running for cover in a world gone mad.

 

 

People doing harm to others? "It all stems from the violence on TV and in the music," Tank said.

 

Men who solve disputes with guns? "Too many people are just cowards," Tank said.

 

Critics and haters who write up the perps? "Demons," Tank said. "A lot of people are out here just to get people, just to hurt people."

 

Johnson is 6-3, 315 pounds, and he is afraid. Not of Peyton Manning. Not of Marvin Harrison and Reggie Wayne. Not of Joseph Addai and Dominic Rhodes.

 

Tank is afraid of you. He is afraid that you believe he has no business playing against the Colts in Super Bowl XLI.

 

That means he's afraid of me, too, and millions of right-minded Americans who are sick and tired of the rich and famous, the athletes and movie stars, living by a set of rules never available to the ordinary Joe.

 

No, Johnson shouldn't be part of the biggest Sunday in sports. He shouldn't be playing football in front of 100 million viewers.

 

He should be forced to watch the game on TV, and to check in with his probation officers during the hyped-up commercial breaks.

 

But a judge in Cook County (Ill.) liberated him to chase Manning all over Miami, reviewing the terms of Johnson's house arrest before granting him a free pass to cross state lines and have a world of fun in the South Florida sun.

 

John J. Moran Jr. called this audible, and Lord knows why. Tank Johnson has been arrested three times in the last 18 months, and police have reportedly been called to his home anywhere between 10 and 20 times for one disturbance or another.

 

In December, Johnson allegedly violated his probation when police found marijuana, some 550 rounds of ammunition, and six guns and rifles in a raid of his home. Johnson's three-year-old and one-year-old daughters were present at the start of the raid, right there with the alleged stash of weapons and drugs.

 

This followed a February incident outside a Chicago nightclub, where a police officer trying to issue a ticket to Johnson's limousine driver ended up in a physical confrontation with the football player, who reportedly told the officer, "You ain't the only one with a Glock. If it wasn't for your gun and your badge, I'd kick your [butt]."

 

The cop used mace and the help of other officers to subdue Johnson; the charges were eventually dropped when the arresting officer declined to pursue the case. Three months before that incident, Johnson was sentenced to 18 months' probation and 40 hours of community service on a misdemeanor gun rap.

 

After the December arrest on gun charges (Johnson's best friend and housemate, Willie Posey, was charged with marijuana possession), Johnson was reportedly warned by Bears officials to stay clear of trouble. One night later, Johnson went to a nightclub with his friend, Posey, who was shot dead after an apparent altercation with another man at the scene.

 

The Bears put Johnson on the inactive list for a game, and they suspended him for another. They should've suspended him for the balance of the season. They should've told him to get his life in order before he ever thought of getting back in his helmet and pads.

 

But the Bears didn't do that, not even close. With Tommie Harris out of the lineup, Johnson becomes a more critical piece of the Chicago defense. He becomes a player who improves their unlikely chances of going all the way.

 

Moran, the judge, decided Johnson could best serve society in the Bears' huddle. Though the tackle said he was calling probation officers up to 10 times a day, Moran didn't ask Johnson to make a single long-distance call from Miami.

 

Tank Johnson is free to terrorize Peyton Manning like he did Drew Brees in the NFC Championship Game. (Jamie Squire / FOXSports.com)

 

"The judge gave me full reign to take a trip like my team would," Johnson said. "I don't have any kind of confinement. I've been out to dinner, I've been able to do a couple of things....I've had a great time out here."

 

Wonderful. Just perfect. Tank's really going to learn from his mistakes now that he's been forbidden to party anywhere but South Beach.

 

Oh, I forgot. Moran did warn Johnson that he'd better not screw up again "or dire consequences will result."

 

Forget it, Judge. That train has pulled out of the station. Even an ex-Bear the likes of Gale Sayers, who would love to see the home team upset the Colts, has been quoted saying Johnson should've been waived off the roster, never mind suspended for the Super Bowl.

 

But the professional football player caught a break that wouldn't have been given a professional landscaper, actuary or broker. Now Johnson says he's gotten rid of the three pit bulls that were in the same home as his daughters, the pit bulls that were scaring the neighbors straight.

 

He says he's leaning on the Bible more. He says he's probably through as a gun owner.

 

"I don't like violence in this world," Johnson said. "I can't stand it."

 

I can't stand a world of double standards, and Super Bowl XLI will be the home office for those.

[K3VIN]

I say yes

[Herc]

he hasn't been convicted yet.

[Clarence the Blue Puppet]

he hasn't been convicted yet.

 

he is under house arrest.

[Herc]

i think it sets a dangerous precedent though. obviously he's guilty and will either take a deal or be convicted but not letting athletes play and then having them be proven innocent or having the charges dropped could potentially cost a lot of people a lot of money, and it's not like they cna recover damages from the gov't. an example, to a lesser degree, is the duke case. those kids were kicked out of school and now it looks like they've done nothing wrong

[Clarence the Blue Puppet]

i think it sets a dangerous precedent though. obviously he's guilty and will either take a deal or be convicted but not letting athletes play and then having them be proven innocent or having the charges dropped could potentially cost a lot of people a lot of money, and it's not like they cna recover damages from the gov't. an example, to a lesser degree, is the duke case. those kids were kicked out of school and now it looks like they've done nothing wrong

 

 

One could say that they put themselves in the position. If you want strippers, go to the club. I'd never trust a stripper or a prostitute in my own home. I don't care how many people are there.

[Herc]

i agree in theory, but it's not illegal to hire a stripper.

[Clarence the Blue Puppet]

i agree in theory, but it's not illegal to hire a stripper.

 

No it's not, but if they had just gone to the club, they would never be faced with what they are going through. Of course hindsight is always 20/20.

[TaylorBanksCarsonVanPelt]

No it's not, but if they had just gone to the club, they would never be faced with what they are going through. Of course hindsight is always 20/20.

And I really think that a couple of the boys got a little too touchy touchy and feely feely. In a club you have bouncers to control the monkey business ....especially for guys who just started shaving. Me having a prostitute or stripper in my pad would never happen because I am a mature adult of 42 years. But give a 18-25 year old the same opportunity and most would jump at it. Just think you have some prosti over to your house, possibly casing the joint to be robbed later....she can accuse you of rape and/or involuntary confinement and now you have to prove that you did not do it. Oh well it might be my bias against Duke...never liked it ...especially after The Great "Its not my fault" Brown.