In an emotional game following the passing of his former college coach, John Beam, Chicago Bears cornerback Nahshon Wright recorded his fourth interception of the season in the 19-17 victory against the Minnesota Vikings.
Beam, a renowned American football coach from Laney College, who appeared in the Netflix series “Last Chance U”, died after being the victim of a shooting on the Oakland, California campus on November 13. A suspect, who according to the police knew and targeted Beam, was arrested. Wright, who played college football under Beam in 2018 before transferring to Oregon State, learned of his coach’s death on Friday, two days after their last conversation.Wright’s interception, the second against his former team, prevented the Vikings from scoring a touchdown before halftime, which would have reduced the difference to one point. With a six-inch advantage over Vikings receiver Jordan Addison, Wright used his height to outmaneuver the receiver and secure possession, achieving Chicago’s 22nd ball recovery.He was watching over me. It’s incredible. He called me the night before he passed away and told me that in every game he watched, it seemed like I was getting an interception. So I know he was with me today.
Nahshon Wright
After the interception, Wright knelt in the end zone, visibly emotional, and was consoled by his teammates. The player plans to give the interception ball to Beam’s family. Wright, with tears in his eyes, described the deep relationship he had with Beam, who “became a father figure” to him and his brother, Rejzohn, after the murder of their father in 2017.It was huge for us, right before the break. They were about to score. He was the team captain this week, the guest captain. I know what it means to him to play against his former team and how it all happened. Very good coverage. He’s so tall that he can deflect balls or catch them. We definitely needed that.
Ben Johnson, Bears Coach
Wright added that Beam “did a lot for me, for my brother, and for my family. He was there. He was there every step of the way, and he won’t stop. I won an angel.”It meant the world to me. When they killed my father, he came to my house and pulled me out of bed. He was someone I could trust, someone I love very much. We talked once a week, easily.
Nahshon Wright
The significance of Wright’s performance against the team that released him in April (the Bears hired him a day later) did not go unnoticed by his teammates.He called me and said: ‘No, it was me who did that.’ So we laughed about it and I was glad to be able to talk to him for the last time.
Nahshon Wright
I am very happy for him. I know he has been through a lot this week. … He was playing with a heavy heart today, so I just told him how proud I was of him and it’s a special moment to be able to get an interception.
Kevin Byard III, Bears Safety
