Chicago Bears defensive end Mario Edwards Jr. has been one of the bright spots for the team most of this 2020 season. Signed for a paltry $1.6 million, he's become one of their most consistent pass rushers on the defensive line. Somebody who is good for a few pressures or a sack each week. He has played his way into a potentially lucrative new contract in 2021, either from the Bears or somebody else.
Unfortunately, those plans have hit a major snag. According to TMZ, a North Carolina court is charging the 27-year old with assault over an alleged domestic violence incident involving a woman in a local Charlotte hotel room. It
happened back in October when the Bears visited the city to play the Carolina Panthers. The woman claims he made sexual advances and got physical with her when she declined.
"In the docs, the woman claims Edwards got violent with her in a North Carolina hotel room on October 17, 2020 (the day before the Bears played the Carolina Panthers). She says Edwards got aggressive when she turned down his sexual advances that night.
The woman claims she took out her phone to record Edwards yelling at her -- and he reacted by smacking her in the eye with his hand.
Then, she claims, Edwards grabbed her by the arm and "dragged her to the door of the hotel room."
The woman claims Edwards continued his attack down the hotel hall by an elevator where he struck her in her arm."
For his part, Edwards not only denies getting physical with the woman.
In fact, he claims she was the one who got physical with him. He confirmed the verbal dispute took place but it was the woman that took shots at him, even scratching his forehead. Either way, the defensive end will likely have to appear before a judge in the near future.
Odds are the Bears will make some sort of statement soon once the news starts to spread. The timing of this is pretty tough for the team. With three games left, Chicago has to win all three in order to have a realistic shot at the playoffs. Edwards was a huge part of their victory last Sunday over Houston. He will be needed for a gigantic rematch against the Vikings in Minnesota this weekend.
Now it's fair to wonder if he plays another game for them.
Mario Edwards Jr. had a future as a Bears defensive end
It's quite possible the team may have sought to lock him up with some sort of extension in 2021. Roy Robertson-Harris is scheduled to be a free agent. Akiem Hicks is getting along in years. Edwards Jr. would've been a really nice part of their rotation moving forward. He seemed to fit the type of defensive scheme they liked to run.
Much of how all this plays out will depend on the evidence involved. The woman certainly claims to have lots of it. She claims Edwards has a history of violence issues and even put her in the hospital with injuries. That is very bad if true. At the same time, the NFL is no stranger to cases like this. It could be an extortion attempt by somebody looking for an easy payday.
That is why it's important not to presume guilt.
One could say the Bears defensive end was foolish to put himself in that situation. Yet this is the reality of being a professional athlete. If you're not careful, odds are you'll find yourself in that kind of situation. Edwards has no prior history of domestic violence. So this would be the first such instance. It isn't the same as the Ray McDonald situation back in 2015 when he was a known risk when the Bears signed him.
