When Cook County Circuit Judge John Moran released Terry “Tank” Johnson from house arrest last January, he told the Bears defensive tackle he needed a Super Bowl victory because he had “fallen behind on some bills.” On Thursday, it was clear Judge Moran was serious, not only sentencing Johnson jail time but also ordered him to pay $2,500, the amount the judge lost betting on the Bears in Super Bowl XLI.
Judge Moran was clearly upset as he handed down the sentence, telling Johnson he warned him what would happen if the Bears lost the Super Bowl.
“Mr. Johnson, I told you last January that I had a lot of money riding on the Bears winning Super Bowl XLI, and if your team loses, so do you.”
Defense attorney Lorna Propes says she advised the judge of the risky wager versus the Indianapolis Colts.
“I warned him. I told him how the NFC was the weaker conference and the Bears wouldn’t even have made the playoffs had they been in the AFC. I told him Rex Grossman was due for a bad game. I told him not to bet against Peyton Manning. He didn’t listen and now it’s my client who is paying the price.”
