Tank Johnson's Bodyguard Killed in Nightclub

By Benjy Lipsman in News on Dec 16, 2006 6:30PM

Tank Johnson was already having a pretty bad week. His house was raided by Gurnee police, his stash of guns was confiscated and he was charged for illegal possession of firearms. His bodyguard Willie Posey was arrested for felony pot possession during the raid. And as a result of Thursday's run-in with the police, Bears coach Lovie Smith announced that Johnson would be inactive for Sunday's game against Tampa Bay.

Yet somehow, Tank Johnson's personal life managed to head downhill even further overnight. Remember the pothead bodyguard, Posey? Well, he's now dead following a shooting inside Ice Bar. There was supposedly some kind of fight inside the River North club around 1:30 am that lead to the shooting. Posey was taken to Northwestern Memorial Hospital, where he was pronounced dead around 2:00 am.

Tank Johnson was also at Ice Bar at the time of the incident, but his role in incident is unknown at the present time.

Chicagoist cannot fathom how this could happen. Maybe Tank Johnson really lacks basic rational thinking skills. Why on earth would he be out in public the day after his arrest, in a crowded club, with the convicted felon who was just arrested in his house? Wouldn't most people want to lay low? Avoid the heckling from the public? Try to stay out of trouble and out of the news for at least a few days?

Apparently Tank doesn't think that way. Even after publicly apologizing to the Bears organization, his teammates and family earlier in the day on Friday.

Bears management was already getting pretty fed up with Tank's behavior. Bears General Manager Jerry Angelo spoke about the raid on Friday, "We're very disappointed and embarrassed by this. It's unfortunate, but it did happen and it did happen to Tank. He has had a history of doing things and that history has to stop."

Tank clearly did not get the message. Does this latest incident end his days with the Bears? Chicagoist has to think it could ... and probably should. While losing his on-field performance could harm the team, the Bears need to send a message to their fans and other players that such behavior is not acceptable. No matter what.

As much as players claim they're not role models, they are. Whether they want to be or not. Kids look up to them, and they need to take some responsibility for trying to live decent lives. We're certainly not naive enough to think that these young guys -- often from rough backgrounds, and suddenly flush with cash and attention -- aren't going to make some mistakes as they grow into their new lifestyle. But a continuous pattern of poor decisions, letting down people close to them, and endangering others cannot be tolerated.

Angelo agrees, or at least he says he does. "I tell players this: It's not their talent that determines their careers, it's their character that determines their careers." If he's true to his word, Tank Johnson will no longer be a member of the Chicago Bears. Good riddance!