The Original Bad News Bear
The Original Bad News Bear
In the wake of the Byron Pringle arrest scandal, it got me thinking about other Bears players who have had some run-ins with the law. So you know I had to talk about Mike Richardson.
Known as «L.A. Mike», he played college football for Arizona State University going All-American in 1981,1982. In his last two years in college, he went 19-4 with the Sun Devils, winning the 1982 Fiesta Bowl.
He played on the 1985 Bears Super Bowl team, finishing his 7-season career with 20 interceptions returned for 247 yards and a touchdown, and four fumble recoveries. Mike was also in the Super Bowl Shuffle with the line «I like to steal it and make em pay», ironically this would become a theme in his life on and off the field.
In 2008 he faced a 13- year sentence for possession of methamphetamine and crack cocaine. This was his 21st drug conviction since the end of his football career. Richard Dent and Mike Ditka helped him to rehab to avoid jail time, Mike was sentenced to one year in prison and extended probation.
In 2020 L.A. Mike was arrested for homicide in Phoenix Arizona, reportedly in relation to a suspected cocaine transaction gone awry. Richardson shot the man over $200 of cocaine, Ronald Like was pronounced dead at the hospital.
You hate to see it, but for every football success story, there's a sad one as well.
