Tank Avoids More Jail Time

By Benjy Lipsman in News on May 1, 2007 3:00PM

In the latest episode of the ongoing Tank Johnson saga, the Bears' defensive tackle finally went before a Lake County judge on the gun-related charges that stemmed from the December raid on his Gurnee home and subsequent arrest.

Johnson pleaded guilty to one count of possessing a firearm without an owner's identification and was sentenced to 45 days in jail. However, the presiding judge will allow Johnson to serve the sentence concurrently with the four-month sentence he's currently serving in Cook County Jail for probation violations, which means Tank avoids any additional jail time.

In addition to the 45-day sentence, Johnson was also ordered to donate $2,500 to the Gurnee Police Department and $2,500 to the Gurnee Exchange Club's child-abuse prevention program.

While Johnson avoids any more jail time, there's still one last stop on his punishment tour. Once he's free from behind bars, he'll have his day with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell and can expect to be sent to "NFL jail" like Pacman Jones and Chris Henry. The only question is: will his sentence be closer to Henry's eight games or Jones' full season? Chicagoist thinks we're unlikely to see Tank Johnson in uniform all season, so the Bears had better start working on converting new draft pick Dan Bezuin to DT real quick.