When Cedric Benson was informed that he would be suspended, along with seven other players, for legal trouble from the offseason he was surprised having been under the impression that he would not be punished for the assault he was charged with in Texas this past summer. He filed an Unfair Labor Practice Charge against the union, saying:

"There were some things in the CBA that we were not made aware of, which is really no surprise. That kind of falls on the PA (players association)," Benson said. You would think they’re here to support you and have your back, that’s what a union does. I guess in my case it’s different.

"We’ve got a lot of good cards to play, a lot of evidence, a lot of facts to back me. We’ll present those things and hope for the best."

Benson isn't the only player upset and disappointed by his situation. Left tackle and team leader Andrew Whitworth is very unhappy with the situation as well.

"It doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me. I feel like it's the wrong decision and I also believe the union let those eight guys down. I don't feel like that was fair. To me, if I was told that was a make or break, I would have said that's a make or break deal that we were going to sell out eight guys to have an agreement."

"Now I don't think that I'm saying them doing stuff is OK but if no one else can get punished they shouldn't be able to either," Whitworth said. "I feel like the eight guys is the problem to me. I don't feel like they should be left out. The real problem I have with it is I don't think they are any different from any other guy who got in trouble during the lockout."

Benson's appeal was Monday in New York and it is currently unclear as to whether or not his three-game suspension will be carried out or if the decision will be reversed. The team is bracing for the worst-case scenario. They invited Larry Johnson to Cincinnati for a workout on Tuesday.