Bears waive DT Tank Johnson

[Coach Sal]

This will be good fodder (and maybe good theater) for a Monday.

Shoot away, Bills fans.

[Dr. Lecter]

If the Bills don't sign him, it is proof that Ralph is cheap and Marv does not care about the run defense.

[cocamide]

This will be good fodder (and maybe good theater) for a Monday.

Shoot away, Bills fans.

The Patriots will probably sign him. If they don't then it'll be the Fins or Raiders.

[Earthquake Enyart]

He just got a DUI in Arizona.

The guy is a punk.

[Saratoga Slim]

I don't think that we'd see much of a contribution from him until at least halfway through the season.

[patmoran2006]

If the Bills don't sign him, it is proof that Ralph is cheap and Marv does not care about the run defense.
You still need proof about that??

[patmoran2006]

I dont think ANYBODY will sign him before 2008.

[Dr. Lecter]

You still need proof about that??

You have provided plenty. :D

[patmoran2006]

IN all seriousness.

in the ever growing "moral" NFL, I'd be very surprised if anybody signed this guy before next season.

Its just incredible to me how some guys just refuse to learn their lesson. They dont have to be good citizens. THey can be total *******s if they want.. ALL THEY NEED to do, is stay out of ****ing trouble.

[Coach Sal]

Here is the official link from ESPN:

http://x.go.com/cgi/x.pl?goto=http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=2916083&name=FPT-2916083-062515&srvc=sz

[OpIv37]

we could use a guy with his talent but we don't need his baggage.

[cocamide]

IN all seriousness.

in the ever growing "moral" NFL, I'd be very surprised if anybody signed this guy before next season.

Its just incredible to me how some guys just refuse to learn their lesson. They dont have to be good citizens. THey can be total *******s if they want.. ALL THEY NEED to do, is stay out of ****ing trouble.

Oh yeah, I forgot he was suspended for the first half of next year. I really think some team will still sign him though. But, I hope you're right.

[bigbub2352]

Ignorant, way to go Tank

[DaBillzAhDaShiznit]

I don't care what the situation is; this is a stupid human being and does not deserve another shot in the NFL. Any team would be very foolish to sign him.

[feldspar]

He just got a DUI in Arizona.

The guy is a punk.

We don't know that yet. They pulled him over for going 15 MPH over the speed limit at 3:30 in the morning. They took a blood test, but the results will take about 2 weeks before they come back. Who the hell takes blood test for a suspected DUI?

I don't think Tank deserves as much negative criticism as he gets. All he ever did was own some guns that were unlicensed.

[Michael82]

So, it looks like Tank is the first one who may get kicked out of the league. Good! Hopefully the next thing I read is.....


Titans waive CB Pacman Jones

:pray:

[justasportsfan]

I don't think Tank deserves as much negative criticism as he gets. All he ever did was own some guns that were unlicensed.that's ilegal isn't it?

[OpIv37]

We don't know that yet. They pulled him over for going 15 MPH over the speed limit at 3:30 in the morning. They took a blood test, but the results will take about 2 weeks before they come back. Who the hell takes blood test for a suspected DUI?

I don't think Tank deserves as much negative criticism as he gets. All he ever did was own some guns that were unlicensed.

he did something else too- I don't remember what it was but the cops were at his house for something when they found the illegal guns. This is America- the cops don't just go door-to-door doing random gun checks.

[Saratoga Slim]

We don't know that yet. They pulled him over for going 15 MPH over the speed limit at 3:30 in the morning. They took a blood test, but the results will take about 2 weeks before they come back. Who the hell takes blood test for a suspected DUI?

I don't think Tank deserves as much negative criticism as he gets. All he ever did was own some guns that were unlicensed.

I agree in part, as i don't think that Tank's previous charges (prior to this DUI) were as reflective of a bad character as say Pacman's. His first arrest was for having a handgun in his car, and his second was for still owning guns even though he was on probation. Nonetheless, he did apparently break the law, so it's fair that he was suspended and put on a short leash by his team.

If it turns out that he WAS drunk in this latest episode, he's a friggin idiot. I don't care if he was only a little bit drunk, and was driving safely. After getting a 8 game suspension, there's really no excuse for taking ANY chances whatsoever. Call a damn cab, you can afford it Tank.

[justasportsfan]

I don't remember what it was but the cops were at his house for something when they found the illegal guns. .I'd put him in jail for 10 years if that's true.

[patmoran2006]

I guess we'll have to wait and see ..

But for the Bears to already release him following this, I suspect he told them that he was drunk.

[Earthquake Enyart]

You forget about his buddie getting killed in that night club fight in Chicago.

The guy is bad news.

[Earthquake Enyart]

Plus with the blood test, he'll be lucky if alcohol is all that's there.

[feldspar]

he did something else too- I don't remember what it was but the cops were at his house for something when they found the illegal guns. This is America- the cops don't just go door-to-door doing random gun checks.

I'm not totally defending Tank, but a lot of people are like you. They judge him based on his reputation, which isn't entirely deserved.

1) A nosey parking valet found a gun in Tank's SUV, and called the cops. Johnson pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor gun charge and was sentenced to 18 months probation and 40 hours of community service.

2) Johnson was leaving al Nightclub when a police officer was ticketing a limousine driver whom Johnson had hired. As Johnson allegedly put up a struggle, he was maced and subdued with the help of other police officers. The charges were eventually dropped.

3) The cops searched Tank's home. I don't think he did anything to provoke this search; they searched his house because he was on probation. They are allowed to do that. They found 6 firearms, including 2 assualt rifles. Johnson was charged with violation of probation and possessing unlicensed weapons. They also found some weed on his bodyguard...allegedly.

4) 2 days after the cops searched his home, Tank was at a nightclub with his bodyguard, and his bodyguard got into an argument with a gang member who has been implicated in 30 other crimes. The gang member shot and killed his bodyguard...allegedly (although it's safe to assume he did).

There you have it. Johnson entered a plea of not guilty on 10 counts of possessing a weapon without the proper state-required ID. That's it. All the man ever did was own guns...illegally. He should have, and could have, gone through the proper channels and legally owned them; although I'm not sure how legal assault rifles are... I don't see this as a hanging offense, certainly not deserving of the same punishment as Pacman Jones.

The guy likes guns. So what? He's never been accused of shooting anyone. He actually went to jail for having guns, so I think that's enough.

As far as DUIs go, I've had 2 of them. The last one was 12 years ago. I hope nobody here is self-righteous enough to get a huge attitude about that. Anyway, Tank is not convicted of that. He's suspected of being "DUI Impaired to the Slightest Degree" but was released without being booked or charged. The blood test was taken, but results aren't in yet. ANyway, it's pretty clear that he wasn't rip-roaring drunk. They'll give you a DUI for having a drink or two. If you think having a drink or two is deadly, they should close every bar in America, because almost every person who leaves a bar is legally too drunk to drive.

[Earthquake Enyart]

Oh. It's all coincidense.

Let's bring him in for a look.

[feldspar]

You forget about his buddie getting killed in that night club fight in Chicago.

The guy is bad news.

Read my post above. His buddy, which was his bodyguard, was killed over an argument by a gang member who is implicated in 30 other crimes. What you are doing in this case is blaming the victim.

[justasportsfan]

. All the man ever did was own guns...illegally. He should have, and could have, gone through the proper channels and legally owned them; although I'm not sure how legal assault rifles are... I don't see this as a hanging offense, certainly not deserving of the same punishment as Pacman Jones.

The guy likes guns. So what? He's never been accused of shooting anyone. He actually went to jail for this, so I think that's enough.


lock him up. ANyone trying to own guns illegaly are eventual thugs.

[feldspar]

lock him up.

They DID lock him up.

And owning guns illegally doesn't make him a thug.

[justasportsfan]

They DID lock him up.

And owning guns illegally doesn't make him a thug.

Obviously not long enough if he's a repeat offender.

wait til' that gun obtained illegaly kills someone you love and you'l be changing your tune. I am not against owning guns, but am so against people who obtain them illegaly. Most of these illegal guns are the ones used to kill , steal from , rape,etc, innocent people in the streets.



PS- there should be more nosey parking attendants so that they can get these guys behind bars.

[feldspar]

Obviously not long enough if he's a repeat offender.

wait til' that gun obtained illegaly kills someone you love and you'l be changing your tune. I am not against owning guns, but am so against people who obtain them illegaly. Most of these illegal guns are the ones used to kill , steal from , rape,etc, innocent people in the streets.

PS- there should be more nosey parking attendants so that they can get these guys behind bars.

Obviously not long enough? Why? He hasn't been caught with guns since he got out of jail. Do you honestly believe that Tank had these guns in order to kill, rape, and steal? Maybe he just wanted to protect himself and was stupid enough not to get these guns licensed. Maybe he likes to shoot at trees in his backyard and go hunting. How do you jump so far in your conclusions? Tank has no history of crime outside of having guns.

Don't get me wrong; the gun laws are there for a good reason, but the man has paid his dues. Give him a break. The only kind of damage that was done was to Tank himself.

[justasportsfan]

l. Do you honestly believe that Tank had these guns in order to kill, rape, and steal? Maybe he just wanted to protect himself and was stupid enough not to get these guns licensed. Maybe he likes to shoot at trees in his backyard and go hunting. How do you jump so far in your conclusions? Tank has no history of crime outside of having guns.

Don't get me wrong; the gun laws are there for a good reason, but the man has paid his dues. Give him a break. The only kind of damage that was done was to Tank himself.


Sorry bro. He was on probation for breaking the law. He broke the law again. I don't know what he wanted to do with the guns. Neither do you. I don't care if he wanted to shoot birds with them or himself. He should obtain the legally.

You break the law more than once in such a manner , you're a thug.

If he loved guns so much, he should've enlisted to go to Iraq.

I hated the fact that it was easy for that kid to obtain the gun and kill all those kids at Viginia tech, all the more I anyone who tries to obtain them illegally should be locked up.

He and pacman should be perfect examples that we shouldn't reward thugs with more money. No glorified thugs for me.

[OpIv37]

I'm not totally defending Tank, but a lot of people are like you. They judge him based on his reputation, which isn't entirely deserved.

1) A nosey parking valet found a gun in Tank's SUV, and called the cops. Johnson pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor gun charge and was sentenced to 18 months probation and 40 hours of community service.

2) Johnson was leaving al Nightclub when a police officer was ticketing a limousine driver whom Johnson had hired. As Johnson allegedly put up a struggle, he was maced and subdued with the help of other police officers. The charges were eventually dropped.

3) The cops searched Tank's home. I don't think he did anything to provoke this search; they searched his house because he was on probation. They are allowed to do that. They found 6 firearms, including 2 assualt rifles. Johnson was charged with violation of probation and possessing unlicensed weapons. They also found some weed on his bodyguard...allegedly.

4) 2 days after the cops searched his home, Tank was at a nightclub with his bodyguard, and his bodyguard got into an argument with a gang member who has been implicated in 30 other crimes. The gang member shot and killed his bodyguard...allegedly (although it's safe to assume he did).

There you have it. Johnson entered a plea of not guilty on 10 counts of possessing a weapon without the proper state-required ID. That's it. All the man ever did was own guns...illegally. He should have, and could have, gone through the proper channels and legally owned them; although I'm not sure how legal assault rifles are... I don't see this as a hanging offense, certainly not deserving of the same punishment as Pacman Jones.

The guy likes guns. So what? He's never been accused of shooting anyone. He actually went to jail for having guns, so I think that's enough.

As far as DUIs go, I've had 2 of them. The last one was 12 years ago. I hope nobody here is self-righteous enough to get a huge attitude about that. Anyway, Tank is not convicted of that. He's suspected of being "DUI Impaired to the Slightest Degree" but was released without being booked or charged. The blood test was taken, but results aren't in yet. ANyway, it's pretty clear that he wasn't rip-roaring drunk. They'll give you a DUI for having a drink or two. If you think having a drink or two is deadly, they should close every bar in America, because almost every person who leaves a bar is legally too drunk to drive.

While I'll agree that Tank's list of offenses does not equal Pac Man's in terms of severity or quantity, he still ****ed up multiple times.

He knew he was on probation, he still bought guns illegally. He knew he was under scrutiny for the gun incidents, and he still drives drunk. While his mistakes aren't on par with Pac Man's, he still doesn't learn from them. A lifetime ban would be too harsh, but an additional 4 games or even a full year might set him straight.

You got a couple DUI's- you learned your lesson and haven't gotten one in 12 years. Tank still hasn't learned his lesson.

[feldspar]

If you want to classify Tank Johnson as a thug, go ahead. But the fact remains that he never has hurt anybody but himself through his actions. He paid for what he did, and he continues to pay. I can't believe that you refuse to make a differentiation between Tank and Pacman (Tank vs. Pacman - sound like a monster movie). Pacman and friends shoot people, while Tank doesn't; that's a big difference. And what is the point of bringing up Virginia Tech? Seung-Hui Cho purchased those guns legally, anyway.The fact is that anyone who wants a gun in America can probably get it. Illegal guns are bad; I don't disagree with that. But you should judge on a case-per-case basis. Tank is at the low end of the spectrum because he never actually used a gun in an illegal activity.

Besides, I think the NFL gets a little too carried away in its self-righteousness sometimes. These aren't a bunch of choir boys out there. These guys are all aggressive.

[feldspar]

While I'll agree that Tank's list of offenses does not equal Pac Man's in terms of severity or quantity, he still ****ed up multiple times.

He knew he was on probation, he still bought guns illegally. He knew he was under scrutiny for the gun incidents, and he still drives drunk. While his mistakes aren't on par with Pac Man's, he still doesn't learn from them. A lifetime ban would be too harsh, but an additional 4 games or even a full year might set him straight.

You got a couple DUI's- you learned your lesson and haven't gotten one in 12 years. Tank still hasn't learned his lesson.

Tank ****ed up twice with guns on paper. Maybe he owned all of his seven guns at the time he was busted with one, thought it was no big deal, and kept the other 6 at his house thinking his house wouldn't be searched. This sounds very possible. I don't think he would be stupid enough to buy six more guns when he is on probation; he probably had them all the whole time. This is speculation, but so are all character attacks on him.

He hasn't been busted for driving drunk yet. I really don't know why they would take a blood test rather than a breathalyzer test, do you? Right now, he is suspected of "DUI impairment to the slightest degree," which suggests that he had one or two drinks, probably two in his case cuz he is so big. My mom has one or two drinks and then drives, and so does everyone that drinks at all; so this shouldn't really be that much about character. When the blood test comes back, it might reveal weed or something...who knows? But OMG he was speeding. whoa. Anyway, he is now kicked off the team because of this, which also seems harsh to me.

[Stewie]

btw if Tank isn't under contract this season, his suspension will probably apply to the first 8 games for whomever may end up signing him.

[Michael82]

I think the Bears did this to prove that they are better than the Titans. At least they are smart enough to cut bait. I still can't believe that Pacman is still a Tennessee Titan.

[njsue]

Not worth the time and the money.

[feldspar]

Here's the story. Tank Johnson's major crime was a combination of bad luck and being stupid more than any real criminal behavior IMO. All of his guns were legal; that is to say that none of them were automatic. People are allowed to own any of the guns Tank had.

He was put on probation for a misdemeaner after a parking valet found a gun in his car. Police saw fit to raid his home, where they found 6 firearms. All of Tank Johnson's guns were legally registered in his home state of Arizona, but Illinois law requires that all gun owners have an FOID card — Firearm Owner’s IDentification card, something that Johnson didn't have - he went to jail because he did not have a Firearm Owner's Indentification Card.

He pretty much went to jail for 2 months, suspended for 8 games (so far), and was kicked off the team because he didn't have a Firearm Owner’s IDentification card. The funny thing is that almost anyone can get one of these cards. This is no lie: a father got his 10-month-old son one of these cards after his grandfather bought a gun for the baby after he was born. This baby can't buy a gun until he's 18, but it can own one because of this card. The card allows the tot to own a firearm and ammunition and transport an unloaded weapon. Don't that beat all? Another thing is that you can fill out an application for this card online, and the fee is only $5.

He was stupid not to get the card. Now he is stupid for speeding in the middle of the night in a white neighborhood. <!-- / message -->

[justasportsfan]

with the bears interior suddenly thin and not much DT's available left out there, you have to wonder why the bears are willing to part with him inspite of his talent. They most likely know more about his character than anyone.

[feldspar]

with the bears interior suddenly thin and not much DT's available left out there, you have to wonder why the bears are willing to part with him inspite of his talent. They most likely know more about his character than anyone.

The Bears are just protecting their image and following up on this "zero tolerance" nonsense. I've seen Lovie Smith praise Tank's character several times. Also, the media is like a bunch of vultures, and they don't want this distraction.

[justasportsfan]

The Bears are just protecting their image so they got rid of a thug. Thank you.

[feldspar]

so they got rid of a thug. Thank you.

a "perceived" thug is more like it, and that's all that matters sometimes. Liking guns doesn't make him a thug. Like I said before, he went to jail for not filling out routine paperwork for the state of Illinois. All of his guns were legally registered in his home state of Arizona.

Yeah, those thugs are real badasses about not filling out paperwork...

Also, thugs are often impaired to the slightest degree.

[Bill Brasky]

The Bills should go after Tank Johnson.

If what McGahee said is correct, then there is absolutely no way Johnson could get in trouble in such a boring city such as Buffalo... I mean, we just got a Dave and Busters here!