LAKE FOREST, IL – Chicago Bears 1st Round pick Mitchell Trubisky got a rough welcome to the player locker room at the Bears’ practice facility this morning, receiving loud boos from his new teammates as he found his locker and hung up his gear.
According to several sources who were in the facility, Trubisky received mostly boos — and a smattering of applause — when he was introduced to the team by head coach John Fox, with Bears players apparently upset the team traded so much to get the former North Carolina quarterback with the No. 2 selection.
“I don’t think the booing was directed at Mitchell, per se,” said Fox. “No one knows him personally and I’m sure they’re rooting for him to succeed. I just think a few of the veterans, understandably, want to win now and worry we mortgaged the future for a quarterback prospect who is far from a sure thing. That’s exactly how I feel, too, but I wasn’t consulted on drafting Mitchell and if I was, I would have said to pass on him. No offense to the kid, who I’m sure will be great.”
Of the several dozen Bears players who did boo the No. 2 overall pick, sources said one of them was not new Bears quarterback Mike Glennon, who was signed as a free agent earlier in the offseason and will now have to compete for his job.
“No, Mike kept it classy and didn’t boo at all,” said a Bears coach. “He just in front of his locker and quietly wept, same as he was doing before Trubisky walked in.”