Thread: Bears vets fool rookies with phony $38K dinner bill

A copy of the phony restaurant bill presented to Bears rookies on Tuesday night. (Twitpic Photo / October 10, 2012)

By Fred Mitchell, Tribune reporter 3:07 p.m. CDT, October 10, 2012


Shea McClellin couldn’t believe his eyes: Chicago Bears veterans had run up a restaurant tab for more than $38,000 -- or so the receipt read.

“I didn’t see how, like, 10 guys could spend that much money on one bill,” McClellin said about Tuesday’s Rookie Night for Bears veterans. “I was just like: ‘Oh, I’m going to have to pay someone back because I can’t pay all of that right now.'"

Turns out veteran defensive lineman Israel Idonije was simply having some fun at the rookies’ expense.

“We all went out to dinner for Rookie Night and we had the restaurant bring the big bill just to shock Aston (Whiteside on the practice squad) and Shea," said Idonije, who tweeted a picture of the bill. "It was hilarious. They didn’t know what to do with themselves. It was fun.”

Coach Lovie Smith said he didn’t know anything about Tuesday night’s player shenanigans, but he can appreciate the value of camaraderie among players on and off the field.

“I know we’re a close-knit locker room, for sure. Close-knit group,” Smith said. “Being a rookie ... there’s a reason why you are a rookie. You have to work your way from the bottom to the top. I am sure it is all in good fun.”

Veteran defensive end Julius Peppers said he wishes he could have seen the expressions on the faces of McClellin and Whiteside.

“I was there (at the restaurant), but I wasn’t there when the check got presented,” Peppers said.

Defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli is more concerned with the progress of McClellin on the field after he has worked with the veterans for several months now.

“I don’t know if (working with the veterans) speeds it up, but he sees how it’s done,” Marinelli said Wednesday. “You have men out there that you can show as an example that this is exactly how it has to be done.”