Good riddance, Tank

Tank Johnson, Chicago's answer to Paris Hilton, has finally been let go by the Bears.

Mr. Johnson has rolled blissfully along, exhibiting hideous judgment and breaking laws and squandering every chance the Bears and the NFL have given him for redemption, blissfully confident that he can get away with anything because he is ... well .. HIM. Rules don't apply to people like HIM, do they?

This sad saga began in earnest last December. His home was raided and the cops found guns and marijuana. The grass belonged to his good friend, roommate and bodyguard. The guns belonged to Johnson, which put him in violation of his probation for a 2005 gun charge. It's important to note that, in addition to grass and guns, there were young kids in the home, because it was Tank's weekend to play Daddy.

The Bears told Johnson that they felt this situation was serious and he had to "clean up his act." Johnson said he would. Then he and his bodyguard went clubbing. Twelve hours later that bodyguard was dead, shot because someone bumped someone on the dance floor.

Now surely this was serious, right? But see, the Bears were in the Super Bowl for the first time in 20 years! And since he is special, the courts gave Tank Johnson special permission to leave Illinois to play in The Big Game.

Tank served 60 days in Cook County Jail this year. He promised that NOW he got it. NOW he knew that he had to clean up his act.

That's why the Bears were unhappy to learn that last Friday Tank had been stopped at 3:30 AM last Friday morning for speeding, and refusing a Breathalyzer test.

I hear murmurs that the Bears will be sorry they cut this guy because he'll be snapped up by another team. Well, God help that team.