Chicago Bears Waive Tank Johnson

Blogging the National Football League, Blogging the NFL

The Chicago Bears have had enough of Tank Johnson. In the wake of yet another run-in with the law, the team released the troubled DT just three days after he was arrested for speeding and “DUI Impaired to the Slightest Degree.” In my post from June 22 I said “…this little episode will most likely cost him two more game checks — maybe more.” Well, the maybe more part came true. It cost him his job. Tank knew that he couldn’t so much as jaywalk without facing serious consequences, so I was, needless to say, very surprised that he would drink and drive — over the speed limit no less. What doesn’t surprise me is that the Bears gave him his walking papers. He had clearly become a distraction to the team and he was showing no commitment to the organization that gave him a great deal of support during his time of need. I received a statement from the Bears media relations department in which GM Jerry Angelo said:

“We are upset and embarrassed by Tank’s actions last week. He compromised the credibility of our organization. We made it clear to him that he had no room for error. Our goal was to help someone through a difficult period in his life, but the effort needs to come from both sides. It didn’t, and we have decided to move on.”

In that same statement, head coach Lovie Smith added:

“A lot of people within our organization gave extra time and energy to support Tank: players, coaches and our front office. We did our best to establish an environment for him to move forward. Ultimately Tank needed to live up to his side of the deal.”

I don’t like writing posts like this. I like writing that Tank had changed his ways and was going to become the NFL’s “Man of the Year.” That was inspiring to hear. But after being given every conceivable opportunity to get his career, and more importantly his life, on track, he failed. I don’t know what to say. It’s disappointing to see this happen, but the Bears did the right thing. There had to be a limit to the support they were going to give Tank.