There were a lot of people who thought Bears rookie Roquan Smith just needed to sign his contract and get to training camp but at least one of his Bears teammates is proud of what he did. Veteran linebacker Danny Trevathan said he is proud of Smith standing up for what he thought is right.
“I’m proud, because he made a decision and stuck with it,” Trevathan said Wednesday via The Chicago Sun Times. “I’m more proud … it’s going to lead to more people doing that.
“It was big for him to do that. It was tough. I know he wanted to get here with his team, and a lot of people were saying ‘Oh he needs to get there’ and a lot of other bullcrap. You’ve just got to focus on you sometimes. You only get one chance to do that and I told him, ‘Do it the right way — your heart will never lead you wrong. Do the job and then get here so we can win some games.’ ”
There was a big sticking point in contract negotiations over guaranteed money. Smith wanted to make sure that he wouldn't lose his guaranteed money for a suspension for something that happened on the field like lowering the helmet or a late hit. The Bears were sticking to their guns at first, but they finally folded and agreed that he won't lose his guaranteed money for on the field suspensions.
If a rookie held out for what he believes is right don't be surprised if a lot more players start to do the same.
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