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USA Today Sports Media Group
USA Today Sports Media Group
Sport
Robert Zeglinski

Bears legend Dick Butkus paid an emotional goodbye to the now-traded Roquan Smith

You know you’ve made a mark on a sports franchise when one of its biggest names is sad to see you leave.

On Monday, roughly a day before the 2022 NFL trade deadline, the Chicago Bears traded All-Pro level linebacker Roquan Smith to the Baltimore Ravens. And while there was a lot to parse through from an on-field football sense, it didn’t seem like Chicago linebacking legend Dick Butkus was quite ready to see Smith leave just yet.

Why it’s almost as if one great Bears linebacker loved to see a player like Smith live up to that long-established Chicago tradition:

Oh, man. Is someone cutting onions?

It’s obvious Butkus — a Chicago native, a former University of Illinois graduate, and Bears Hall of Famer — still has an affinity for his favorite football franchise. And it looks like he really appreciated what Smith brought to the table for as long as he wore the Bears’ uniform.

NFL fans were touched by Butkus's outpouring for Smith

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