Bears take Tyrique Stevenson punishment to next level after botched Hail Mary
The Chicago Bears needed to let Tyrique Stevenson know his actions in Sunday’s game won't be tolerated. In a now viral moment, Stevenson was seen bantering with Washington Commanders fans before — and during — the Hail Mary play. After realizing the play was ongoing, Stevenson ran toward the mosh pit in an attempt to make a play.
Instead, he tipped the ball back toward Noah Brown, which ended up being the game-winning touchdown catch. To hold him accountable, the Bears announced they were benching Stevenson for Sunday’s game against the Arizona Cardinals.
Chicago Bears take Tyrique Stevenson punishment to next level after botched Hail Mary
Jay Glazer of FOX originally reported when Stevenson found out on Wednesday he was getting pulled from the starting lineup, he excused himself from the walkthrough out of frustration. It was later reported by Courtney Cronin of ESPN there was more to the story.
Bears DB Tyrique Stevenson, the player seen talking to fans right before the Commanders' Hail Mary TD last week, pulled himself out of practice after learning of his demotion for his role in the game-losing play. @JayGlazer explains: pic.twitter.com/FEUA2tZ4tM
— FOX Sports: NFL (@NFLonFOX) November 3, 2024
According to Cronin’s X platform, formerly known as Twitter, account Stevenson did excuse himself from practice out of frustration, went to the locker room but did return later in the practice.
She added that while there were frustrations regarding the ending of the Commanders game, there was no fallout from Stevenson leaving practice. Cronin also said they still plan on using him Sunday; he just won’t be the starting cornerback against the Cardinals.
Just spoke with a Bears source and can provide context on @JayGlazer's report about Tyrique Stevenson leaving practice Wednesday upon finding out he would not start vs. Arizona.
— Courtney Cronin (@CourtneyRCronin) November 3, 2024
Bears coaches/execs arrived at the decision to not start Stevenson on Tuesday and relayed that to the…
And truthfully, it was a move the Bears needed to make, whether they wanted to or not. Stevenson is lucky to get away with being benched and not being suspended for his actions.
There was no reason for him to be jawing with fans while the game was still going on. Especially when he ended up being the reason why his team lost. Maybe if he would have been paying attention, he would have been in the right spot.
This was also a smart move because the Bears needed to send a message to the locker room. After there was a lot of frustration over Stevenson’s action, they needed to make clear that nobody is bigger than the team.
A standard needed to be set and it’s clear to the other 52 players on the team, actions have consequences. Hopefully Stevenson not having an active role in Sunday’s game will be a lesson to him and everyone else.
Focus on football and leave the fans alone.
feed