Cedric Benson, the starting Chicago Bears running back, was arrested Saturday night on charges of of boating while intoxicated and resisting arrest.
Benson failed a sobriety test while operating a boat on Lake Travis in Texas, then resisted arrest before being hit with pepper spray and dragged ashore by police.
Benson was released from jail early Sunday on a $14,500 bond.
Benson, 25, was operating the 30-foot boat with 15 passengers aboard when he was stopped by a Lower Colorado River Authority officer for a random safety inspection. He failed a field sobriety test on the officer's boat and did not cooperate with the arrest, prompting officers to pepper spray him and dragged him onto land into a police car.
Benson's mug shot has circulated the Internet as Benson claimed that he was a victim of police abuse. The mug shot shows that Benson suffered some type of physical altercation with police, but it is not certain if he caused it or he was a victim of unnecessary police brutality.
Benson has had legal troubles in his past. He was sentenced to eight days in jail in 2003 for a misdemeanor trespassing charge after forcing his way into an apartment to look for a reported stolen TV. In 2002, he was charged with misdemeanor drug and alcohol counts, but the charges against him were dropped.
Last season, in his first year as the featured running back for the Bears, Benson rushed for 674 yards, four touchdowns and 3.4 yards a carry before going on injured reserve in November.
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