Rather than serve his jail time during the bye week this season, as originally planned, Bengals running back Cedric Benson decided to turn himself over to the Travis County jail to begin his jail sentence. From Joe Reedy of the Cincinnati Enquirer.
According to jail records, Benson was booked into the facility at 11 p.m. CDT. On Monday, Benson pleaded no contest to assault and sentenced to 20 days in a plea bargain. Per Travis County Sheriff’s Office policy, Benson is credited for serving Tuesday because he showed up before midnight.
Attorneys for both sides said that credit for good behavior, Benson would serve seven days. That means he would be released either late Monday or the morning of Sept. 6. That means he would miss Monday’s practice but would be back by next Wednesday when preparations for the Sept. 11 opener at Cleveland really ramp up.
Original reports wrote that Benson planned on serving his jail sentence for his 2010 assault during the bye week on October 17. Apparently with the idea of good behavior reducing his stay to seven days, why not serve it now to get it over with?
Obviously Benson won't be able to play Thursday night's finale against the Indianapolis Colts. However since the final preseason game usually allows starters a brief rest before the regular season, it's likely Benson wouldn't have played much if at all. Backup running back Bernard Scott could get the starting nod (though I don't want to presume at this point).