Monday, Sept. 12, 2011Posted: 1:43 p.m.
By JohnMullin
CSNChicago.com BearsInsiderFollow @CSNMoonMullin
How often does a player feel he has to apologize after scoring a touchdown?
Tight end Matt Spaeth tendered an apology to his teammates after his one-yard TD in the third quarter. Not so much for the play as for what he did afterwards.
Spaeth caught the pass and sprinted immediately over to a a group of fans seated in the north end zone, not coincidentally all wearing No. 89 Spaeth Bears jerseys consisting of his mom, aunts and girlfriend. He presented the ball to his aunt but wished hed taken care of team business first.
I felt really bad afterward because I was thinking, I just scored a touchdown and I have these guys to thank, blocking for me, and Jay (Cutler) throwing, and I didnt celebrate with them, Spaeth said. I apologized to them and they understood. It was a unique thing, being able to score a touchdown and have your family there.
Spaeth did get the ball back and turn it over to head equipment manager Tony Medlin, who traditionally takes memorable footballs and paints them with the pertinent details of the game as a memento for players.
John "Moon" Mullin is CSNChicago.com's Bears Insider and appears regularly on Bears Postgame Live and Chicago Tribune Live. Follow Moon on Twitter for up-to-the-minute Bears information.