Tank Johnson will be back in uniform for the final regular-season game and also for the playoffs.
That decision, believe it or not, shouldn’t be criticized.
Tank Johnson is an idiot. He has invented a new, mystifying brand of stupid. One that involves screwing up, being told not to do something, then doing that very thing the next night, not leaving when some random moron picks a fight with you at a bar at 1:30 in the morning and, on top of it all, still not thinking you’ve done anything wrong.
But releasing the man is easier said than done, considering there have been no convictions on Tank’s record since he was placed on probation a year ago. Even if the Bears wanted to release Tank, there is red tape to cut through, hoops to jump through and unions to battle in these types of situations. The guys on “Around The Horn” won’t admit it, but you can’t just snap your fingers and release a player for things like this, even a very stupid player.
Tank Johnson failed himself and the Bears with his decisions and has lost his best friend because of it. He’ll have to live with that guilt the rest of his life. If he had been issued his out-right release, no one could have possibly criticized the team for doing so.
But anyone who criticizes the team for keeping Johnson around better think back to all the times they’ve criticized the team over the last two years.
The Bears were shredded for last year’s draft, which involved trading their first-round pick, then taking Danieal Manning and Devin Hester in the second round.
They were lambasted for not upgrading the offense this offseason and for signing Ricky Manning Jr.
Two years ago, they were ridiculed for giving Muhsin Muhammed $40 million.
The list goes on, usually with Jerry Angelo and Lovie Smith being proved right and the critics being proved wrong (the whole Chris-Thompson-covering-Steve-Smith thing last year in the playoffs notwithstanding).
The media are calling for Tank’s head, but do you know where the Bears would be if the media had their way? Kurt Warner or Brad Johnson would be throwing passes to Mike Williams, Antwaan Randle El and Leonard Pope, Bears’ fans never would have heard of Abilene Christian or Danieal Manning, Devin Hester would be high-stepping for some other team, Thomas Jones would have been traded for a stick of gum (Ashley Lelie to be precise) and the Bears would probably be 8-6 at best.
It seems that, in today’s world, many in the media just shout as loud as they can and if people don’t agree with what they say, they just shout louder (see Smith, Stephen A. and Mariotti, Jay). I think my brain is capable of six more episodes of “Around The Horn” before it commands my hands to smash my television with a hatchet.
None of this has anything to do with Johnson’s current situation, except for this: The media, including myself, has criticized this regime’s decision-making since Day 1 and more times than not, we’ve been proven wrong. I’m getting sick of the taste of crow.
Ray Lewis was suspected of having something to do with a murder and he’s still around. Leonard Little actually did kill someone (in a drunk driving accident in 1998) and he’s still playing defensive end for the St. Louis Rams. It’s not right, but it’s football.
No, the Bears shouldn’t be criticized for keeping Johnson. But if the team ever again tries to claim it is bringing in only players with good character, everybody can shout one word at the top of their lungs:
“False.”