NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell paid a touching tribute to late legend Steve McMichael following his death during Thursday night’s draft.
McMichael, a Chicago Bears legend, passed away Wednesday evening at the age of 67 following a battle with ALS.
However, Goodell’s speech to honor the defensive tackle was sandwiched by boos from the crowd gathered in Green Bay.
Goodell used the Bears’ 10th overall pick as an opportunity to remember McMichael, who won the Super Bowl with Chicago in 1985.
‘Yesterday, the NFL family lost a true legend, Bears Hall of Famer Steve McMichael,’ Goodell began.
‘My heart is with the McMichael family at this time. Misty, please know that you are in our hearts and prayers. Mongo’s remarkable contributions to the game and the community will never be forgotten. His legacy will continue to inspire generations to come.’
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell paid tribute to late legend Steve McMichael at the draft
Chicago Bears legend McMichael died at the age of 67 following a battle with ALS this week
However, given the location of this year’s draft, Lambeau Field – the home of the Bears’ bitter rivals, the Green Bay Packers – the home crowd didn’t grant Chicago’s pick a warm reaction.
Goodell had made his way onto stage to announce the pick to a chorus of boos from the Packers fans in attendance.
The jeers did die down into a hushed murmur out of respect as Goodell began to pay tribute to McMichael. However, as soon as he had finished, they roared back to full volume, almost drowning out the Bears’ pick, tight end Colston Loveland.
As two of the oldest teams in the NFL, the Bears and Packers have been rivals in the same conference or division since the NFL adopted the conference structure on 1933.
The rivalry had already caused a stir earlier in the evening when Packers legend Clay Matthews sent the draft off the rails by claiming he had a message from Donald Trump to deliver.
‘I just got off the phone with the President,’ he claimed from the stage outside Lambeau Field.
‘He told me to pass a message along to all 32 NFL franchises,’ Matthews continued, pulling out a piece of paper from this pocket. ‘Let me tell you what it reads. It says, “My fellow Americans, the Bears still suck!”‘
A former Chicago defensive tackle, McMichael is loved throughout the Windy City for his key role in the 1985 Super Bowl-winning team. He played for the Bears for 13 seasons and holds a club record for 191 consecutive games played.
Packers fans gathered at Lambeau Field booed the Bears pick but went silent for the tribute
Green Bay Packers legend Clay Matthews sent the 2025 NFL Draft off the rails Thursday
Last August, McMichael entered the Pro Football Hall of Fame in emotional scenes as a ceremony was held by his bedside.
Bedridden in the advanced stages of the neurological disease, the two-time All-Pro defensive tackle was the second player enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame among seven members of the Class of 2024.
Surrounded by several of his Chicago Bears teammates and his wife, Misty, at his home in Homer Glen, Illinois, McMichael wore his gold jacket, and his bronze bust was unveiled live in a touching tribute.
‘You are on a team that you can never be cut from and never be released from. When you die, you´ll always be on this team,’ Hall of Famer Richard Dent said, patting McMichael on the head.
‘Welcome home, Steve. You’re in football heaven forever.’
Nicknamed ‘Mongo’ after the character in ‘Blazing Saddles’ who knocked out a horse and known for his brash and boisterous personality, McMichael was the most feared player on one of the greatest defenses in NFL history.
He became the fourth defensive player from the 1985 team to enter the Hall, joining Dent, Mike Singletary and Dan Hampton.
McMichael, whose final NFL season was with Green Bay in 1994, was an All-Pro in 1985 and 1987.
The Hall of Famer bravely went public with his ALS diagnosis four years ago, in 2021
Last year, he entered the Pro Football Hall of Fame as a ceremony was held by his bedside
McMichael’s wife, Misty, poses with his bust during the 2024 enshrinement ceremony
He played in a franchise-record 191 consecutive games for Chicago from 1981 to 1993 and ranks second to Dent on the Bears’ all-time sacks list with 92 1/2.
Whether he was terrorizing opponents or discussing the Bears on sports talk radio, the man also known as ‘Ming The Merciless’ remained a prominent presence in Chicago long after his playing days ended.
He also spent five years in professional wrestling in the late 1990s. His brash personality and willingness to say whatever was on his mind made him a natural for the squared circle.
He began working for World Championship Wrestling at the height of the ‘Monday Night Wars’ with the World Wrestling Federation, starting as a color commentator and later joining Ric Flair in the ‘Four Horsemen’ group.
McMichael revealed in April 2021 that he was battling ALS. He had been experiencing tingling in his arms for some time that he figured was a neck or spine issue stemming from his playing days or his work as a wrestler.
