[CBFF] ST - Apparently, Tank's a keeper

[Kenny Claxton]

Salisbury is an idiot.

On 12/19/06, Jerry Madsen <jerrywm at gmail.com> wrote:
> Listening to the local talk radio out of Chicago over the past few
> days, I've been shocked over the call for Tank to be cut by so many
> fans.  I'm not saying it wouldn't be appropriate, I just didn't expect
> so many people to be up-in-arms.
>
> HOWEVER, I flipped the dial over to ESPN 1000 for about 10 minutes
> this morning, just in time to hear Sean Salisbury go into conspiracy
> theorist mode.  He suspects that William Posey's untimely demise is a
> little too convenient and that when all of the facts come to light,
> Tank may find himself is more trouble than he's in already.
>
> I have no idea what to think.
>
> Jerry
> -----------------------------------------------------
>
> Apparently, Tank's a keeper
> (http://www.suntimes.com/sports/football/bears/177590,CST-SPT-bear19.article)
>
> December 19, 2006
>
> BY BRAD BIGGS Staff Reporter
>
> The Bears have a plan for dealing with Tank Johnson, and it doesn't
> involve releasing him. Eventually, they'll reveal what it is.
>
> With a conclusion expected Monday in how the team would deal with the
> embattled defensive tackle, the story that won't go away instead grew
> legs. The Bears know what they want to do but are exploring the
> complex matter with the NFL as it pertains to the collective
> bargaining agreement and personal conduct policy.
>
> At issue is whether the team can move forward with its plan without
> impeding on the league's jurisdiction for disciplinary issues. This
> much is evident: If the Bears were going to welcome Johnson back with
> open arms to play Sunday at Detroit, they wouldn't be in consultation
> with the league. Instead, they're looking at ways to sit him down the
> stretch, and they might have plans for him to participate in the
> postseason.
>
> The great unknown left coach Lovie Smith to take questions from all
> angles during an afternoon news conference, with general manager Jerry
> Angelo nowhere in sight. Angelo's own words make one wonder how the
> Bears can retain Johnson, who was charged with six misdemeanor counts
> of illegal possession of weapons Thursday.
>
> Johnson issued a public apology to the team the next day, then showed
> his contrition by partying 12 hours later at a downtown bar, where his
> longtime friend and self-proclaimed bodyguard was shot to death.
>
> ''We have been meeting internally all day regarding Tank Johnson,''
> Angelo said in a statement released after 3 p.m. ''It is a complicated
> matter that involves many parties. We are currently pursuing a course
> of action and communicating with the league to reach a conclusion as
> quickly as possible.''
>
> That means the Bears were not pouring all their resources into
> preparing for the Lions, scouting possible playoff opponents or
> analyzing draft prospects. Angelo said Friday that anyone who caused a
> distraction that took the team away from its ultimate goal would be
> dealt with ''severely.''
>
> If Johnson returns, it will unquestionably be his final opportunity.
>
> ''I've been a coach a long time, and there are times when people
> disappoint you,'' Smith said. ''Have I been disappointed more than one
> time by a person? Yes. There comes a point where you draw the line and
> you say, no more. It comes to that eventually.''
>
> Johnson has been arrested three times in the last 18 months and
> remains on probation for a previous weapons conviction. Foxsports.com
> reported that he tested positive for marijuana before the combine in
> 2004 -- when the Bears drafted him in the second round -- information
> that would've been available to the team.
>
> Also arrested Thursday was Johnson's friend and housemate, Willie B.
> Posey, a felon who was charged with felony possession of marijuana.
> Posey was shot and killed when the two were at Ice Bar in the
> early-morning hours Saturday.
>
> ''[Johnson] made a bad decision as I see it on that day,'' Smith said.
> ''I asked him to do some things, to get some things done, and he was
> in the process of doing some of those things. Some of his decisions on
> how he was taking care of some of those things, we would like to have
> back.''
>
> Smith acknowledged that the McCaskey family has the ultimate say on
> whether Johnson wears a Bears uniform.
>
> ''We'll take our time to make the right decision because we're dealing
> with somebody's life right now, his livelihood and things like that,''
> Smith said.
>
> Johnson was deactivated for the Bears' 34-31 overtime victory Sunday
> against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Soldier Field. The team has been
> doing what it can to help Johnson grieve the loss of his friend. He
> was at Halas Hall briefly Monday afternoon, leaving with some items as
> a passenger in a sport-utility vehicle.
>
> Not only has Johnson repeatedly failed to get his weapons properly
> licensed, but he can't get a driver's license. According to the
> Secretary of State's office, Johnson's road record is so tainted, he
> doesn't have the privilege to operate a motor vehicle in Illinois
> until February 2008.
>
> That means even if he had a license issued in another state, any time
> he gets behind the wheel in Illinois -- such as when he drove to
> training camp in July without license plates on his vehicle -- he's
> violating the law.
>
> Teammates stood behind Johnson after the game Sunday, but no one is
> talking about the game or the approaching postseason.
>
> ''We would like to concentrate on football,'' Smith said. ''We're
> 12-2, we just secured home-field advantage, we won our division and
> look where most of the questions are coming from.''
>
> It's a public-relations disaster for the organization all the way
> around. There's no way to defend the allegation by Gurnee police that
> some of Johnson's weapons were loaded and in plain view with two
> children at home.
>
> ''I don't have all that information right now,'' Smith said. ''I'm a
> dad. I'm interested in kids always being safe. I think Tank is the
> same way.''
>
> The Bears have thought a lot about Johnson, and the sooner they can
> put this ugly episode behind them, the faster they'll be able to
> address such issues as how much starters will play in the last two
> regular-season games.
>
> ''We have some things in mind that we would like to do,'' Smith said
> of dealing with Johnson. ''But we have to go through the league with
> everything. I think we'll be able to come to a conclusion fairly
> quick.''
>
> bbiggs at suntimes.com
>
>
> --
> http://www.globalrichlist.com/
> http://www.xxxchurch.com/
>
> _______________________________________________
> Check out the CBFF Blog:
> blog.chicagobearsfanforum.com
> CBFF Homepage:
> www.chicagobearsfanforum.com
>