A postgame win for the Bears turned into an odd scene at Soldier Field, where witnesses told the Chicago Sun-Times that Otis Wilson was involved in a scuffle near the suite-level elevators after Chicago’s 23-12 victory over the Jets.
Wilson, 69, a starting linebacker on the 1985 Super Bowl champions, was said to have tried to board an elevator reserved for media. According to those witnesses, staff told him he could not get on, but he did anyway. The accounts say he would not listen, and that people eventually led him off before the doors closed and the confrontation escalated.
The Sun-Times reported that a commotion reached the press box shortly after the game ended. The paper later saw Wilson on all fours, then standing bent at the waist and appearing tired.
He was surrounded by several men and women in different uniforms, some carrying hand-held radios. He was eventually wheeled onto an elevator in a chair and taken downstairs.
The report said he was conscious and alert, with no visible injuries.
A softball-sized hole remained in the wall about a foot off the floor, directly across from the elevator Wilson had boarded. Multiple witnesses said the hole came from the initial scuffle.
Nearly three hours after the game, the Chicago Police Department said it had received no calls for service. The department also said it had no finalized case reports on the incident. The Bears did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The on-field story had been a much cleaner one for Chicago. The Bears beat the New York Jets 23-12 to move to 3-1, with Kyle Monangai running for 146 yards and two touchdowns. Chicago held New York to seven first downs and 157 yards, then finished the game with an 18-play drive that lasted more than nine minutes.
Ben Johnson had also kept his quarterback plans quiet before the game, adding another layer to the afternoon. Rome Odunze and tight end Colston Loveland also had big games against the Jets.
Wilson played linebacker for the 1985 Bears through 1987 and served as the main blitzer in their famed 46 defense. He now focuses on the Otis Wilson Charitable Association and released a Bears book in 2017.
Chicago’s next focus is Green Bay, after the Packers beat the Buccaneers 17-14 behind Jordan Love’s two touchdown passes.
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