UT-Austin Standout Cedric Benson Killed In Motorcycle Crash

AUSTIN, TX — Cedric Benson, athletic standout at the University of Texas at Austin and former NFL player, was killed in a motorcycle accident on Saturday night in West Austin, officials confirmed.

The accident occurred along the 5600 block of Mount Bonnell Road just after 10 p.m. on Saturday, according to an Austin-Travis County EMS tweet. A female passenger in her 30s also was killed and two other adults sustained non-life-threatening injuries, medics reported.

The fiery crash resulted after the motorcycle collided with another vehicle, according to medics.

The website hookem.com that reports on Longhorns football said Benson, 36, had posted a photo of a BMW motorcycle on his Instagram account before he was killed. The caption read: "My Saturday Evening."

Hookem.com reported that 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 drunk driving arrest in downtown Austin. Benson was sentenced to two days in jail in the wake of the charge.

Former Longhorns coach Mack Brown expressed condolences on Twitter. Brown recruited Benson to Texas from Midland Lee. "Saddened by the reports on the passing of Cedric Benson," Brown wrote. "We’ve coached a lot of tough players but none were tougher than Cedric. He was a true spirit. Our thoughts and prayers are with his friends and family on this sad day."

The Cincinnati Bengals for which Benson played released a statement expressing condolences from team president Mike Brown: “Cedric was a fine football player for us. He played a principal role for several years here, including a couple of playoff runs. He was from Texas, and he showed his Texas toughness in leading us to a Division Championship in just his second season with us. His three consecutive 1000-yard seasons displayed the talent he possessed. Our organization is deeply saddened by his sudden and tragic passing. The Bengals extend our deepest condolences to Cedric’s family.”

Former Bengals running backs coach Jim Anderson added: “Once he bought into our system, he was like a flower. He just blossomed. He gave us an element we didn’t have. We had complementary guys, but Cedric gave us a missing element. He was a good man. He was one of my guys and it hurts. Life is too short.”