IRVING, Texas -- There was no vow to become "Man of the Year" this time. Tank Johnson simply said Wednesday he is looking forward to resuming his career with the Dallas Cowboys without the pressure of proving anything to anyone.
"I think it's a great opportunity," Johnson said in a conference call from his home in Arizona. "As far as a last chance and all that stuff, I'm so focused on making this a great experience and being a Dallas Cowboy, I'm not really too wraped up in what chance this is."
The suspended defensive tackle signed a two-year deal with Dallas on Tuesday, but won't be joining the team for a while. He has a playbook, though, and he's working out to be ready whenever the league says he can suit up.
The former Chicago Bears star has served two games of an eight-game penalty for violating probation on a gun charge. He's eligible to return Nov. 11 against the New York Giants, although he plans to meet with commissioner Roger Goodell soon to see where he stands.
When the punishment was announced, Goodell said he'd consider cutting the penalty by two games if Johnson stayed on his best behavior -- living up to his goal of trying to become the "Man of the Year." A few weeks later, though, he was pulled over for speeding at 3:30 a.m. and was released by the Bears a few days later.
"You have to live and learn from experiences, Johnson said. "I've dealt with a lot of tragedies and heartache in the last seven months. ... Obviously, as a man, you mature and you learn from the things that you go through. Essentially, I've given myself a book of things to steer clear of."
Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved
