
Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman seemingly piled on the misery for Chicago Bears fans on Sunday.
Freeman spoke to the media in his first Fiesta Bowl press conference on Sunday and fielded a variety of questions. At one point, he touched on his time as a player with the Chicago Bears. Freeman was drafted in the fifth round of the 2009 NFL Draft by Chicago, but was cut at the end of preseason and never actually played in an NFL game.
Still, plenty of people got a laugh about Freeman saying he learned “how to take defeat” from his time with the Bears.

“You learn how to take defeat.” – Marcus Freeman, asked about what he learned during his time with the Chicago Bears
— Pete Sampson (@PeteSampson_) December 12, 2021
At first glance, this certainly looks like a shot at the Bears and their recent history of losing seasons. That does not really add up, as Freeman was only with the team during a preseason that saw them go 3-1. More likely, Freeman was alluding to the adversity that came with not making the team.
This drew laughter immediately, but I'm fairly confident he was talking about personal defeat being cut in the preseason rather than taking a shot at the Bears. https://t.co/KjAwHplifJ
— Tyler James (@TJamesND) December 12, 2021
Bears fans may just embrace the less logical interpretation because it’s funny. That is certainly better than letting their frustration boil over, as has happened at times this season.
Photo: Oct 2, 2021; South Bend, Indiana, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish Defensive Coordinator Marcus Freeman enters Notre Dame Stadium before the game against the Cincinnati Bearcats. Mandatory Credit: Matt Cashore-USA TODAY Sports