Otis Wilson, a popular member of the famed 1985 Chicago Bears, was reportedly subdued by security at Soldier Field during Sunday’s win over the visiting New York Jets.
As reported by the Chicago Sun-Times’ Steve Greenberg, Wilson got into a physical altercation with a female security guard near the press box. Multiple witnesses working in different capacities told Greenberg that the 69-year-old Wilson was subdued by multiple people outside a bank of elevators.
The witnesses included at least one Sun-Times reporter, who added that an exhausted Wilson was allowed to stand and catch his breath when the situation had been calmed. Ultimately Wilson was placed in a wheelchair and taken downstairs on an elevator. He had no visible injuries and appeared alert, according to the Sun-Times.
The scuffle left a ‘softball-size’ hole in the wall, as seen in one photograph from Greenberg.
Witnesses told the Sun-Times that Wilson was informed he could get onto an elevator reserved for media – a common practice at NFL stadiums allowing reporters the chance to quickly access locker rooms after games.
The Daily Mail has sought comment from team spokespeople. Thus far, the Chicago Police Department has not shared any report on the incident.
Chicago Bears great Otis Wilson is pictured during an event in Illinois back in 2017
Wilson is best remembered for his Pro Bowl season in 1985 as the ‘Super Bowl Shuffle’ Bears finished 15-1 en route to the first and only Lombardi Trophy in franchise history
The reported incident took place during Sunday’s Bears-Jets game at Chicago’s Soldier Field
A Brooklyn native, Wilson grew up with actor Jimmy Smits in the Brownsville neighborhood of Brooklyn before enrolling at Syracuse and later transferring to Louisville.
The linebacker would go on to become a first-round pick by the Bears in 1980 before embarking on an impressive nine-year career that ultimately ended with a doomed comeback attempt with the Los Angeles Raiders in 1989.
Wilson is best remembered for his Pro Bowl season in 1985 as the ‘Super Bowl Shuffle’ Bears finished 15-1 en route to the first and only Lombardi Trophy in franchise history. And it was in that Super Bowl that Wilson was at his best, sacking New England Patriots quarterbacks Steve Grogan and Tony Eason as Chicago breezed to a 46-10 win.
He’s remained a constant presence around the Bears and now runs a nonprofit organization, The Otis Wilson Charitable Association, which is aimed at providing health and fitness programs for at-risk youth.
