Chicago Bears cornerback Tyrique Stevenson apologized to his teammates for gesturing to the crowd and turning his back when the Washington Commanders snapped the ball on their winning Hail Mary touchdown pass as time ran out. He promised it wouldn’t happen again.
“I let the moment get too big, and it’s something that can never happen again and won’t ever happen again,” he said Monday, a day after the tough 18-15 loss.
Stevenson spoke to the team without being asked during a meeting on Monday. He wanted his teammates to know that he realized he “let them down.”
Coach Matt Eberflus mentioned that any discipline would be handled internally. Stevenson seemed ready for it, although he said he hadn’t yet met with the coaches.
“We’ve been going over film and doing walkthroughs and trying to get everything corrected. So honestly, I can’t give you (any) details on that, but,” he said, leaving the thought unfinished.
The Bears (4-3) entered Sunday’s game against Washington hoping for their fourth straight win. After struggling on offense for most of the game, they finally took the lead with 25 seconds left thanks to Roschon Johnson’s 1-yard touchdown run.
The Commanders then moved from their own 24-yard line to the 48 before a scrambling Jayden Daniels found Noah Brown for the winning 52-yard touchdown. Stevenson was late to react and missed the chance to stop Zach Ertz from tipping the ball, which allowed an open Brown to catch it in the end zone.
Video on social media showed Stevenson pointing to the stands and raising his arms with his back to the play because he was celebrating with Bears fans when the ball was snapped.
Once he realized what was happening, he ran toward the middle of the field. Coach Eberflus mentioned that Stevenson was supposed to cover Brown, but instead, he went up for the pass.
“I think it’s a really good lesson for everybody to learn from in terms of how to respect the game,” tight end Cole Kmet said.
After the game, Stevenson posted an apology on social media, saying: “To Chicago and teammates, my apologies for lack of awareness and focus… The game ain’t over until zeros hit the clock. Can’t take anything for granted. Notes taken, improvement will happen.”
Two-time All-Pro safety Kevin Byard said the Bears “still love” Stevenson and called it a “lesson learned for him.”
“He addressed the team without anybody asking and kind of said his piece and said what he needed to say, and I thought it was a great message just apologizing and saying that he wasn’t locked in and things like that,” he said. “That just shows proof right there within himself. That’s all you can hope for in a situation like that, and we’ll continue to support him.”
