Each week, commenter RandBallsStu tracks down a former Minnesota sports figure so you don't have to do so. This works out well most of the time. And yes, that is a file photo of Daunte Culpepper giving Michael Bennett a ride on his scooter during training camp in 2005. Stu? --------
The Hunt Down
Name: Michael Bennett Claim to Fame, Minnesota: the Vikings' first-round pick in 2001, Bennett was the heir apparent to Robert Smith at running back. Noted for his speed, Bennett's best season was 2002, when he made the Pro Bowl on the strength of nearly 1300 yards rushing. The ever-troubling "freak treadmill accident" led to off-season foot surgery, curtailing his 2003 season (you may be familiar with how that one ended), and he never really recovered. He was released after a 2005 campaign where he started six games and fumbled five times. Games That Time Forgot: Bennett scored a career-long 85-yard touchdown at Tampa Bay in November 2002. That was the game where the eventual Super Bowl champs only punted once and Brad Johnson out-dueled Daunte Culpepper, which led to a lot of rational, sober analysis of each quarterback's abilities in Minnesota taverns. Claim to Fame, Everywhere Else: the Milwaukee native went to the University of Wisconsin, where he succeeded the very dissimilar in style and body type Ron Dayne. His post-Vikings career was very journeyman-like, with stops in New Orleans, Kansas City, Tampa, San Diego and Oakland. Where He Is Now: Reportedly in trouble with John Law. Via the Associated Press, Bennett has pled guilty to wire fraud in south Florida, where he was involved in an alleged scheme to cash fraudulent tax refund checks along with former NFL players William Joseph and Louis Gachelin. Is He on Twitter: no. Glorious Randomness: per Wikipedia, Bennett ran a 4.13 40 in college, which was still not as fast as Bo Jackson. Bo Jackson was fast.
