Former NFL running back Cedric Benson was pulled over on suspicion of driving under the influence last week in Austin, Texas, and the field sobriety tests didn’t go well. Benson was asked to recite the alphabet, and he told the arresting officer he cannot remember the alphabet as a result of playing football.
Cedric Benson couldn’t say the alphabet for a field sobriety test ‘because he played 8 years in the NFL’
Benson was arrested for DWI.
Photo by Vivien Killilea/Getty Images for KWL
Jeanna Kelley has been covering the Falcons for The Falcoholic since 2011 and the NFL for SB Nation since 2015.
Benson was observed going 42 miles per hour in a 35 mile per hour zone. He made an improper turn and changed lanes without signaling, and then he was pulled over in a 7-11 parking lot.
He did not follow instructions to remain in his car, and instead tried to walk inside the convenience store. The arrest affidavit described Benson as “talkative, uncooperative [and] cocky,” and said he had glassy eyes, was swaying, and smelled of alcohol.
The officer tried to administer field sobriety tests, and Benson refused. When the officer asked him to recite the alphabet, that was a no go for Benson.
According to the affidavit, Benson “stated he couldn’t do that because he played eight years in the NFL.” Benson also said he could not count to any number higher than three for the same reason.
Benson also refused to perform a balance test. He was arrested for driving while intoxicated and booked into the Travis County Jail, and he was later released on a $5,000 bond.
It wasn’t Benson’s first run-in with the law. He was arrested for operating a boat while intoxicated back in 2008, but a grand jury declined to prosecute him. He also was arrested for DWI in Austin in 2008. He was arrested for assault with injury in 2010 after allegedly punching a bartender in the face, and he spent five days in jail in 2011 for assault on a family member.
In 2012, Benson was cited for allowing animals to run without control, and he also was pulled over for going 41 miles per hour over the posted speed limit.
Benson spent eight seasons in the NFL, with the Chicago Bears, Cincinnati Bengals, and Green Bay Packers. He finished his career with 1,600 carries for 6,017 yards and 32 touchdowns.
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