Bears bench CB Tyrique Stevenson vs. Cardinals for disciplinary reasons after Hail Mary incident
Bears' Tyrique Stevenson has been imposed with a one-game demotion in their Week 9 fixture for taunting Commander fans.
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Tyrique Stevenson (Via Sporting News)
Stepping on the field for a match against the Washington Commanders, the Chicago Bears appeared a bit overconfident, particularly cornerback Tyrique Stevenson. Not only did his team lose the game by two points, but he ended up facing a one-game demotion for taunting Washington fans.
It happened right before the Commanders’ star quarterback Jayden Daniels made a Hail Mary pass by connecting with wide receiver Noah Brown in the endzone, resulting in a game-winning touchdown for an 18-15 victory. The Bears could have secured the win if only cornerback Stevenson hadn’t been distracted by his celebratory gestures toward the Commanders fan during the final play of the game.
Since the game, Stevenson has gone viral on the internet, with many analysts criticizing his behavior and calling it “amateur.” Given the criticism surrounding the incident, the Bears have benched him for the Week 9 game against the Arizona Cardinals as NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported.
#Bears CB Tyrique Stevenson won’t start today vs the #AZCardinals, sources say, a disciplinary action following last week’s Hail Mary. The hope is he learns from this, as teammates and coaches have backed him.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) November 3, 2024
My story: https://t.co/XJecKQXL0Jhttps://t.co/XJecKQXL0J
The team has imposed a one-game demotion for the second-year cornerback for disciplinary reasons before his behavior causes a major blowout in the future. He will remain active for the season but is anticipated to share his playing time with cornerback Terell Smith.
Tyrique Stevenson takes responsibility for costly mistake against Commanders
While Stevenson’s taunting the opposing fanbase instead of focusing on the game was inappropriate, it wasn’t entirely shocking given that he has only completed one full season in the NFL. That’s why, his teammates and coaches are supporting the player in navigating through the criticism and learning what kind of player he desires to be.
Following the loss, Stevenson didn’t back down from taking responsibility for his mistake that cost his team a Week 8 victory. He issued an apology post on X, addressing the Chicago fanbase and his teammates for his rookie mistake.
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.
Tyrique Stevenson wrote on X
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. #Beardown
— Tyrique Stevenson (@dreamchaserTy10) October 28, 2024
Despite Stevenson taking responsibility for his failure to cover the endzone open against the Commanders’ Brown, head coach Matt Eberflus clarified that the cornerback was not taunting the opposing fanbase. Instead, he was cheering with some of his own fans, but the Washington fans misinterpreted his actions and reacted accordingly.
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Pratyusha Srivastava
(2078 Articles Published)