The coronavirus has made Bears defensive tackle Akiem Hicks concerned about the team’s return to practice — whenever that may be — even if he believes the NFL will do its best to protect its players.
Hicks said he’s learned to swim through other peoples’ assumptions and will continue to do so if it promotes harmony.
They were frustrated and angry, nuanced and vulnerable. And they wondered what would happen if they — like those around the country have done in the wake of the George Floyd killing — would protest.
In the wake of the civil unrest that has engulfed the nation, Matt Nagy convened his team on Zoom for a heart-to-heart exchange that had a tremendous impact. "It changed my perspective on life," Akiem Hicks said.
It was a throwaway line at the end of a long answer about Kaepernick’s saga, but he didn’t backtrack when pressed on it later.
The Bears coach did not commit to supporting individual players opting to kneel or otherwise demonstrate during the national anthem. Instead, he was optimistic the team will find a way to communicate a unified message.
"This isn’t something that just started going on," Bears receiver Robinson said. "Even if you date back to the whole Colin Kaepernick thing, his whole stand was this."
The quarterback’s kneeling foreshadowed Floyd’s death from a policeman’s knee.
The former Bears defensive coordinator and current Broncos head coach called the league a meritocracy. "I don’t see discrimination in the NFL."
NFL teams are not allowed to hold practices offsite and cannot practice together. That means the Bears will not spend a week in Denver as they had hoped.
Bears coach Matt Nagy cancelled team and player meetings Tuesday to support "Blackout Tuesday," sources confirmed to the Sun-Times.
A wagering website has the Packers with the best chance to reach the playoffs. The Bears were listed with a 36.1% chance.
Bears quarterback Mitch Trubisky made his first Instagram post in almost six months Tuesday to show support for those fighting racial injustice.
Answering seven Bears questions as they begin Organized Team Activities this week — albeit on Zoom and nowhere near the Halas Hall practice fields.
