National Football League

CB Tyrique Stevenson apologizes for taunting Commanders fans before Bears lost on Hail Mary

Updated Oct. 28, 2024 4:21 p.m. ET

Chicago Bears cornerback Tyrique Stevenson apologized after video posted on social media showed him taunting Washington Commanders fans seconds before he and his teammates gave up a Hail Mary touchdown with time expired to lose to the Commanders 18-15 on Sunday.

Video posted on social media showed Stevenson pointing toward the stands and raising his arms in the air with his back to the play when the ball was snapped. He was late to get to the play and missed the chance to prevent Zach Ertz from tipping the ball up for Noah Brown to catch in the end zone.

"It comes down to that last play and we've practiced that play a hundred times since we've been here," Bears coach Matt Eberflus said. "I'll have to look at what the execution was on that, but we have a body on a body, boxing guys out like basketball at the very end. We have one guy at the rim that knocks the ball down. We've got a tip guy that goes behind the pile. I've got to look at it and detail it out and make sure we're better next time."

Stevenson later apologized on social media for his actions, saying "improvement will happen."

"I let the moment get too big and it's something that can never happen again and won't ever happen again," he said Monday,

Stevenson addressed the team without prompting during a meeting on Monday. He said he wanted to let the other players know he realized he "let them down."

Eberflus said any discipline would be handled in house. Stevenson sounded like he was prepared for it, though he said he hadn't met with the coaches.

'We've been going over film and doing walkthroughs and trying to get everything corrected. So honestly, I can't give you (any) details on that, but,' he said, without finishing the sentence.

Two-time All-Pro safety Kevin Byard said the Bears "still love" Stevenson and called it a "lesson learned for him."

"He addressed the team without anybody asking and kind of said his piece and said what he needed to say and I thought it was a great message just apologizing and saying that he wasn't locked in and things like that," he said. 'That just shows proof right there within himself. That's all you can hope for in a situation like that and we'll continue to support him."

The Bears, who were coming off their bye, had their winning streak ended at three. They had just gone ahead with 25 seconds left on Roschon Johnson's 1-yard touchdown run.

"When you lose a game like that, that's a tough one to swallow," Eberflus said. "Was excited how they battled back to have a chance to win that game. It's important to look at that, too."

Stevenson made seven tackles and had one pass defensed earlier in the game. He struggled in coverage as Chicago allowed Jayden Daniels to throw for 326 yards.

There were plenty of problems before the Hail Mary, including Caleb Williams fumbling an exchange with offensive lineman Doug Kramer earlier in the fourth quarter. Williams also at one point took a sack to knock the Bears out of field goal range and went 10-of-24 passing, his fewest completions of his young NFL career.

"I've got to be better," Williams said. "I've got to get the ball out of my hands. I've got to throw it out of bounds in that situation. The toughest part about the job is you want to go out and make plays and do special things, but you also have to understand that's the play."

Reporting by The Associated Press.

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