Cedric Benson reported dead in motorcycle crash
AUSTIN, Texas – University of Texas football great and former NFL player Cedric Benson died Saturday night in a motorcycle crash in West Austin, family members and friends said early Sunday.
Austin emergency officials told the American-statesman that they are investigating the crash in the 5600 block Mount Bonnell Road after 10 p.m. Saturday and had information that Benson and a passenger were killed. Two other adults who were injured in the crash suffered non-fatal injuries. Official confirmation by the Travis County medical examiner could come later in the day Sunday.
Earlier in the evening, Benson, 36, posted a photo of a BMW motorcycle on his Instagram account with the caption “My Saturday Evening.”
On Sunday morning, several people were gathered at Benson’s West Austin home on West Courtyard Drive and appeared to be mourning outside on a patio. A Facebook post on Sunday morning from Benson’s relative, Dominic Benson, read, “No no no no no no God no !!!! Why him man !!!!! Not Ced man.”
Mack Brown, the former Longhorns coach who recruited Benson to Texas, responded to an Instagram post, saying, “We lost a great one way too soon #RIP.”
Benson, a running back who played for the Longhorns from 2001 to 2004, accumulated the second-most rushing yards in program history and topped 1,000 yards in each of his four seasons. He captured the Doak Walker Award as the nation’s top running back in his senior season in 2004. The next year, the Chicago Bears took him No. 4 overall in the NFL draft. Benson went on to play eight seasons in the league and last played in 2012 with the Green Bay Packers.
Benson’s death came three days after he appeared in a Travis County courtroom and was found guilty of the lesser charge of obstruction of a passageway in connection to a 2017 drunken-driving arrest in downtown Austin. County Court-at-law Judge Kim Williams sentenced Benson to two days in jail and credited him for the two days he served after his arrest.
Benson’s longtime lawyer, Sam Bassett, sent a text message to the American-statesman on Sunday morning about his relationship with Benson.
“Cedric was not just a client, he was my friend,” Bassett said. “He was immensely talented and fierce on the football field yet most have no idea the difficulties he overcame to achieve what he did. Though imperfect in some respects, once Cedric was your friend you understood how kind, sensitive and loyal he was as a man. He was like a younger brother or nephew to me. I will miss him very much.”