Tank Johnson Terry " Tank " Johnson ( born December 7 , 1981 in Gary , Indiana ) is an American professional football defensive tackle who is currently a free agent . He was drafted by the Chicago Bears in the second round of the 2004 NFL Draft . He played college football at Washington . He has also played for the Dallas Cowboys and Cincinnati Bengals . Early years . Johnson was born in Gary , Indiana . His father moved him to Arizona when he was six years old . He attended McClintock High School in Tempe , Arizona , where he had a B - plus grade average . Johnson played college football at the University of Washington . During his four years at the University , he was second team All - Pac - 10 . Professional career . Chicago Bears . The Chicago Bears selected Johnson with the 15th pick of the second round of the 2004 NFL Draft . Along with teammates Tommie Harris , Brian Urlacher , Lance Briggs , and Nathan Vasher , Johnson helped the Bears ' establish the league ' s most productive defense during the 2005 NFL season . During the start of the 2006 NFL Season , Johnson saw more action due to the loss of Tommie Harris . On January 23 , 2007 , two days after the Bears won the NFC Championship Game , Johnson was forced to appear in Circuit court to request permission to leave the State of Illinois to travel to Miami , Florida to play in Super Bowl XLI stemming from an arrest on gun charges late in 2006 . The request was granted , and he played in the game , recording four tackles , assisting on another , and getting a half - sack . On May 16 , Johnson met with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell to determine punishment for his off - the - field transgressions , with Goodell eventually imposing an eight - game suspension , with the possibility of a reduction to six games if Johnson followed certain requirements for violating the NFL player conduct policy . On June 25 , after another run in with the law , the Chicago Bears waived Johnson , ending his three - year tenure with the team . Dallas Cowboys . After being released from the Bears , Jerry Jones showed interest in signing Johnson . The two shortly came to terms , though Johnson was forced to miss eight games because of his suspension . He returned to the field on November 11 , during a game against the New York Giants . In the game , Johnson recorded three solo tackles , and a single sack . Cincinnati Bengals . Johnson signed with Cincinnati Bengals on April 7 , 2009 . As an unrestricted free agent , Johnson signed with the Bengals to a 4 - year deal on March 8 , 2010 . His contract was terminated with the Bengals August 16 , 2011 . Legal troubles . In November 2005 , Johnson was arrested at the Excalibur nightclub in Chicago for possession of a handgun in his sport utility vehicle . Illinois law dictates that " It is unlawful to carry or possess any firearm in any vehicle or concealed on or about the person , except on one ’ s land or in one ’ s [ home ] or fixed place of business . " Illinois is the only U . S . state that does not issue Concealed Carry Permits . Johnson pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor gun charge and was sentenced to 18 months probation and 40 hours of community service . On February 12 , 2006 , Johnson , while still on probation , was charged with aggravated assault and resisting arrest after allegedly verbally threatening a police officer . Johnson was leaving the Level Nightclub on Chicago ' s Rush Street when the police officer was ticketing a limousine driver whom Johnson had hired . As Johnson allegedly put up a struggle , he was mace d and subdued with the help of other police officers . The charges were eventually dropped . On December 14 , 2006 , Lake County police officers searched Johnson ' s home in Gurnee , Illinois , and allegedly discovered that he possessed six firearms , including two assault rifle s . According to police reports , some of the guns were loaded and there were children in the house . Although Johnson was at football practice during the search , his bodyguard William Posey was arrested from his house for alleged possession of marijuana . Johnson was charged with violation to probation and possessing unlicensed weapons . Bears coach Lovie Smith deactivated Johnson for the following game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers based on this incident . On December 16 , 2006 , Johnson ' s best friend and bodyguard William Posey was killed in a shooting at the Ice Bar in Chicago ' s River North neighborhood . Posey was shot after he was allegedly involved in a fight around midnight . Posey was rushed to Northwestern Memorial Hospital , where he was pronounced dead at 1 : 30am . Posey ' s assailant was not immediately apprehended . However , on December 28 , Chicago Police apprehended Michael Selvie , Posey ' s alleged assailant . Selvie , a " reputed gang member " has been implicated in over 30 other crimes . However , Selvie ' s defense attorney claimed that Selvie does not possess a firearm or any gang affiliations . On February 19 , 2010 , following a bench trial in the Circuit Court of Cook County , Michael Selvie was convicted of first degree murder . Selvie was later sentenced to 55 years in prison . His case is currently on appeal . On December 22 , 2006 , Cook County Circuit Judge John J . Moran , Jr . ( Skokie courthouse , Second District , Cook County , Illinois ) placed Johnson on home confinement , preventing him from driving by himself or leaving the state of Illinois . On December 30 , 2006 , Tank Johnson contacted Gurnee Police Department to file harassment charges . Local youths left a toilet seat with a harassing message on his doorstep . Local news reported that the police did not disclose what the message on the toilet seat said . On February 8 , 2007 , Johnson entered a guilty plea in Cook County ' s Courthouse in Skokie for violating his probation . On February 17 , 2007 , Johnson ' s lawyer contested a Lake County Circuit Court to drop Johnson ' s unlicensed weapons charges . His attorney claimed that since Johnson is a resident of Arizona , he does not have to abide to gun registration laws of Illinois . On March 15 , 2007 , Johnson was sentenced to a 120 days in Cook County Jail and fined $ 2 , 500 for violating his probation . Johnson entered a plea of not guilty on 10 counts of possessing a weapon without the proper state - required ID . On April 30 , Johnson pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor weapons charge as part of an arrangement with prosecutors that will keep him from serving additional jail time . He was sentenced to 45 days in jail , which was served concurrently with a four - month sentence he ' s already serving in the Cook County Jail for violating his probation ; to donate $ 2 , 500 to the Gurnee Police Department and $ 2 , 500 to the Gurnee Exchange Club ' s child abuse prevention program . While he was in jail , many of his teammates and coaches , including Brian Urlacher , Rex Grossman , and Lovie Smith visited Johnson . His release from jail on May 13 ended his legal problems from the December 2006 weapons incident . The league ultimately suspended Johnson for half of the regular season on June 4 . On June 22 , Johnson was pulled over for speeding in Gilbert , Arizona . According to the police , he was stopped by after driving forty miles per hour in a twenty - five mile per hour zone . He was also suspected of driving while impaired " to the slightest degree " , but was released without being booked or charged . The Bears waived Johnson a few days after hearing the news , as general manager Jerry Angelo stated that he had no room for error left . The incident would prove to be the final straw in his already tense relationship with the Bears ' organization . The Bears ultimately released Johnson on June 25 . Almost a week after Johnson was waived , the results from a blood test conducted on Johnson when he was pulled over confirmed his blood alcohol content was under the legal limit .