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As first reported by the Austin American-Statesman, Cedric Benson was arrested and charged with drunken driving in downtown Austin. Austin police spokeswoman Veneza Aguinaga told the paper Benson was stopped overnight for a traffic violation and refused a breathalyzer and blood test.

He was arrested and taken to the Travis County Jail.

The arrest comes a month after Benson was arrested on Lake Travis on charges of boating while intoxicated and resisting arrest, both class B misdemeanors. Those cases are still pending.

According to the Chicago Sun-Times, Benson's timing on this arrest couldn't have been worse. Today is the Bears Expo -- a fan appreciation event held at Soldier Field.

And of great interest would be general manager Jerry Angelo's willingness to comment on the arrest this morning.

Angelo, the man responsible for Benson's presence in Chicago, called the news "hard to believe."

He went on to say: "We are certainly going to take this very seriously. There was alcohol involved, that's all we know. We are certainly going to take this seriously. Disappointment is too often-used word when talking about Cedric.

"The No. 1 lesson of every player is protect your job."

That being the case, Benson has come up far short.

We'll remind you that Angelo immediately put the onus on Benson following the first arrest -- despite evidence that clouded the validity of the charges.

Angelo said at the time he was surprised that Benson would "put himself in this situation" after the boating incident. He said it would "much more difficult" to rely on Benson.

Now, the Bears will begin their own investigation of last night's incident, Angelo said.

"I'm not going to sit here and tell you that we're not extremely disappointed and frustrated with this," Angelo said. "Anybody would be in this situation. But we will get together as a group; make sure that we hear all sides before we do anything."

That said, there is some precedent for swift action.

As Profootballtalk.com's Mike Florio reminded readers this morning, the Bears dumped defensive tackle Tank Johnson last year after Johnson was arrested for suspicion of DUI.

Though Johnson presumably was on a last-chance arrangement with the team after being incarcerated earlier in the year on a probation violation, Benson could be in a similar predicament with the team in the wake of the boating incident.

I'll also remind you that second-round pick Matt Forte is in Chicago for a reason: Legal issues notwithstanding, Benson has failed to live up the expectations that come with being the fourth pick overall.

I can't help but wonder if Angelo would be so quick to pass judgement on the off-field issues if Benson was handling his business on it?

Stay tuned. I'll have more on this story as developments warrant in coming days.