Chicago’s Soldier Field, home of the Chicago Bears, was the target of a $100,000 theft of maintenance vehicles and equipment overnight on Wednesday, officials report.
Persons unknown reportedly broke into the facility’s parking garage and made off with lawnmowers, several John Deere Gator vehicles, and other equipment, according to WGN-TV.
The thieves also tore down fixed fencing erected to keep people out of the area so that they could drive the vehicles out of their enclosure.
The equipment reportedly belonged to a contractor hired by the stadium to do work on the grounds, not the Chicago Bears, the City of Chicago, or the Chicago Park District.
The Chicago Police Department is investigating the incident but has not announced if they have any suspects.
A panoramic interior view of the New Soldier Field Stadium before the game between the Green Bay Packers and the Chicago Bears on October 23, 2003, in Chicago, Illinois. (Jerry Driendl/Getty Images)
Several other odd incidents befell the team this week, as well.
In one case, quarterback Justin Fields implicated the coaching staff for overcoaching him after he was accused of “robotic play” on Sunday, the New York Post wrote.
“Of course, things that I didn’t like, I felt like I wasn’t necessarily playing my game. I felt like I was kind of robotic and not playing like myself,” he said Wednesday, adding, “Could be coaching, I think, but at the end of the day they’re doing their job when they’re giving me what to look at, but at the end of the day I can’t be thinking about that when the game comes.”
He later walked that jab at the coaches back, saying, “When you take my quote out of context, and when you just say that, if you paint the picture on the inside out, y’all are trying to split us up at the seams,” he told reporters. “I’m not blaming anything on the coaches. I’m never gonna blame anything on the coaches. I’m never gonna blame anything on my teammates.”
But even odder was the sudden resignation of defensive coordinator Alan Williams, who quit the team after rumors of a still unexplained raid by the FBI on his home and offices at the Bears’ facility, Halas Hall.
“I am taking a step back to take care of my health and family. I appreciate the opportunity to work with the Chicago Bears, a storied NFL franchise with a rich history,” Williams said in a statement, ESPN reported.
A general overall interior view of Soldier Field as the Green Bay Packers huddle as a group on offense in the first half during a regular season game between the Green Bay Packers and the Chicago Bears on September 10, 2023, at Soldier Field in Chicago, IL. (Brandon Sloter/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
The team has denied that the feds raided Halas Hall.
“I don’t have many details to add there. Halas Hall being raided is completely false. Don’t know where that came from,” Bears general manager Ryan Poles exclaimed.
Regardless, Williams’ resignation has still not been fully explained.
The Bears will return home to Soldier Field to play a Sunday, October 1 game against the Denver Broncos.
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