Bengals DT Tank Johnson Called Out by Illinois Judge

During a sentencing hearing for Michael Selvie, a gang member convicted of the 2006 murder of Willie Posey, bodyguard and best friend to then-Chicago Bears defensive tackle Tank Johnson, Circuit Court Judge Joseph Claps called out Johnson for his cowardice.

During a sentencing hearing for Michael Selvie, a gang member convicted of the 2006 murder of Willie Posey, bodyguard and best friend to then-Chicago Bears defensive tackle Tank Johnson, Circuit Court Judge Joseph Claps called out Johnson for his cowardice.

"Mr. Johnson has to live with his behavior that night, his failure to render aid to a person he described as his best friend...his cowardice and his attempts at self-preservation," Claps said, according to Matthew Walberg of the Chicago Tribune.

Johnson, who currently plays for the Cincinnati Bengals, scuffled with Selvie just before Posey was shot and killed. On loose footing with the Bears for off-field incidents, Johnson lied to police, telling them he wasn't present for the shooting.

Johnson spent two months in jail on weapons charges the following spring, and was suspended for eight games by the National Football League. After Johnson was arrested in Arizona on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol, prompting the Bears to release the former second-round pick out of the University of Washington.

Charges weren't filed in the DUI case, and Johnson was signed by the Dallas Cowboys that September. His suspension was reduced to six games, and Johnson appeared in eight games, starting one, and had 11 tackles and a pair of quarterback sacks. Johnson appeared in all 16 for the Cowboys in 2008, and started 13 of 14 games for the Bengals in 2010.

Johnson signed a four-year contract extension with the Bengals in March.

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