Emotional Bears LB Roquan Smith ends press conference early after learning about Robert Quinn trade
Don't let anyone ever tell you that football teams can't be as close as a family. The Chicago Bears' Roquan Smith provided a perfect example of this on the Wednesday before the 2022 NFL trade deadline.
After Chicago traded Robert Quinn to the Philadelphia Eagles for a fourth-round pick, star linebacker Smith happened to be holding a standard press conference at the same time. When the news broke of Quinn's impending departure to Philadelphia, Smith grew emotional about the news rather quickly.
In fact, he even had to cut his presser short because, in the immediate moment, he was having such a difficult time processing that Quinn was leaving.
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"I have a great deal of respect for that guy," Smith said. "Damn. Crazy."
For the Bears – who just came off easily their best win of the early Matt Eberflus era in a shellacking of the Patriots – this had to hit home for Smith. He was teammates with Quinn for the last three years, and it's clear the two had a bond.