Author: staff

Sports

Former Chicago Bears player Nick Foles lists Glencoe home for $3.29M

Former Chicago Bears quarterback Nick Foles, who now plays for the Indianapolis Colts, on May 23 placed his seven-bedroom, 7,664-square-foot mansion in Glencoe on the market for $3.29 million.A onetime Super Bowl MVP, Foles, 33, only played in one game for the Bears last year — a victory, no less — and was released by the Bears on May 1. On May 23, he signed a two-year contract with Indianapolis.AdvertisementFoles’ home was placed into the real estate multiple listing service as already being under contract, which indicates that a buyer was found before it was publicly made available for sale.Built in 2020, the brick and limestone house has 6-1/2 bathrooms, 11-foot ceilings on the first floor, white oak floors with a herringbone pattern, a family room with oversized custom-built bookcases, a walnut kitchen with a large quartzite island and a walk-in pantry, a mud room with an organized closet, a butler’s pantry between the kitchen and the dining room and 13-foot ceilings on the second floor. Other features include a first-floor guest room and a primary bedroom suite with custom bookshelves, motorized draperies and a wet bar. On the lower level are 10-foot ceilings, a theater room with motorized leather seats, a sound system and a projector, as well as an exercise room with a rubber floor, a recreation room with a bar and a sauna.AdvertisementOutside on the 0.44-acre property are a fenced backyard, a sprinkler system, an attached and heated two-car garage and a two-car detached garage.Through a Texas limited liability company, Foles paid $2.8 million in June 2020 for the mansion.Listing agent Alissa McNicholas declined to comment on the listing.The mansion had a $38,891 property tax bill in the 2020 tax year.Goldsborough is a freelance writer.Join our Chicago Dream Homes Facebook group for more luxury listings and real estate news.

Sports

Josh Donaldson says he and Tim Anderson now have ‘mutual understanding’ of ‘Jackie’ incident

Josh Donaldson, who’s been in the limelight since Saturday after referring to Tim Anderson as Jackie Robinson, said he and the White Sox shortstop now have a “mutual understanding” over his “Jackie” comment.“First and foremost, I have the utmost respect for what Tim Anderson brings in the game of baseball,” Donaldson wrote in a statement shared Thursday morning. “I stated over the weekend that I apologized for offending Tim and that it was a misunderstanding based on multiple exchanges between us over the years. My view of that exchange hasn’t changed and I absolutely meant no disrespect. In the past, it had never been an issue and now that it is, we have a mutual understanding.Advertisement“I would also like to apologize to Mrs. Rachel Robinson and the Jackie Robinson family for any distress this incident may have caused,” Donaldson continued. “Jackie was a true American hero and I hold his name in the highest regard.”Back page for May 24, 2022: “Jackie” comment to cost Josh one game and cash. Josh Donaldson, who touched off skirmish Saturday when he called White Sox’s Tim Anderson “Jackie,” as in Robinson, will appeal MLB’s punishment. (New York Daily News)On Saturday, Donaldson said “What’s up Jackie?” to Anderson, who is Black, while he was on base during the Yankees’ game against the White Sox. The incident was viewed as a racial taunt by Anderson and the entire White Sox team, and as plain wrong by the rest of the Yankees. The comment sparked a benches-clearing incident later in that day’s game.AdvertisementDonaldson explained his comment stemmed from an interview Anderson did in 2019, when he referred to himself as a modern day Jackie Robinson, and that he and Anderson joked about it in the past. Anderson, when asked about Donaldson calling him “Jackie” in 2019, said he told Donaldson they “never have to speak again.”“I knew he knew exactly what he was doing,” Anderson told reporters in Chicago of the three-year-old interaction on Tuesday.MLB started investigating Donaldson after Saturday’s incident. It issued the Yankee third baseman a one-game suspension two days later, which Donaldson planned to appeal.Donaldson has not played since Sunday, after going on the COVID-19 IL.

Sports

Can Chicago Bears tight end Cole Kmet take a step forward in Luke Getsy’s offense? ‘It’s go time.’

When Cole Kmet was asked this week to assess his play in 2021, the Chicago Bears tight end noted what he believed was an obstacle in his first two NFL seasons — multiple quarterback changes.That included a 2020 season in which the Bears waffled between Mitch Trubisky and Nick Foles and a 2021 season in which Andy Dalton was the starter through training camp and the first two games before he was injured. The Bears turned to Justin Fields, who later missed five games with injuries and COVID-19.AdvertisementFormer Bears coach Matt Nagy and offensive coordinator Bill Lazor both called plays in that span.“I’ve had a lot of not just quarterbacks but quarterback changes, so it’s tough,” Kmet said. “I mean, it’s tough on a player trying to get a feel for guys and different scheme changes depending on who the quarterback is. So for me it’s just always doing what I’m asked, and at the end of the day that’s all you can control.”AdvertisementAs Kmet enters Year 3, the second-round draft pick finally should have quarterback continuity with Fields. He seized on an opportunity earlier this offseason to work out with Fields and wide receiver Darnell Mooney in Atlanta, which he said was as much about building their relationship as their chemistry on the field.Bears tight end Cole Kmet practices during organized team activities Tuesday at Halas Hall. (Brian Cassella / Chicago Tribune)There are, of course, more changes under new coach Matt Eberflus, offensive coordinator Luke Getsy and a very different tight ends room. But Kmet seemed enthusiastic about what the new offense can do for him and Fields.Kmet said he can get a feel for how tight ends will be used in Getsy’s offense by looking at similar offenses around the league, with Robert Tonyan in Green Bay and George Kittle in San Francisco.“You see how the tight end is involved in the run scheme, and off of that, the play-action movements,” he said. “And all of those type of things can be really advantageous for tight ends.”[ [Don’t miss] Column: If Chicago Bears pass rusher Robert Quinn wants out of town, a trade could be a win for all parties ]Pressed for reasons for optimism about the offense at this early juncture, he added: “It is a ‘we’ll see.’ I don’t want to get too much in detail with it, but Justin’s on the move a lot, and I think he does well with that. That’s been exciting to see, and you see the types of throws he can make with his legs and on the run and off schedule. No pads right now, but you see that type of stuff and it gets exciting.”Kmet has room for growth after a 2021 season in which he totaled 60 catches on 93 targets for 612 yards. That was a big bump from his rookie season totals of 28 catches for 243 yards as he saw a significant increase in playing time.But Kmet knows he could make a bigger impact this year, particularly in the red zone. Kmet didn’t have any touchdown catches in 2021. He had five catches on 12 targets inside the 20-yard line and no catches on four targets inside the 10, according to Pro Football Reference.On Tuesday, Kmet recalled two end-zone opportunities in 2021 he wished he had back — one on a timing issue between him and Fields against the San Francisco 49ers and another missed connection against the Green Bay Packers.Advertisement“I look back at each part of my game and that was an area that was lacking for me,” he said.[ [Don’t miss] More Pilates, less beer: How Teven Jenkins is working to earn the trust of his new Chicago Bears coaches ]As he looks to better himself this offseason, Kmet said he is focused on hands catches and “really craving violence through my blocks, especially on double teams.”He also will attend “Tight End University,” the three-day event in Nashville, Tenn., organized by Kittle, Travis Kelce and Greg Olsen. Kmet, who went to the inaugural event last year, said it’s chance to have fun with other tight ends — “I’m not going to lie, that’s most of the trip” — but also pick their brains on how they work on and off the field.As for his work at Halas Hall during organized team activities, Kmet said he has tried to show the new staff he is capable of being involved in multiple aspects of the offense.Getsy said earlier this month that he was impressed with Kmet, both because of the mindset he brings to his work and his flexibility as a player.“I’m excited to see him have a bunch of different roles in our offense,” Getsy said. “Some players that are out there, they’re kind of like, ‘This is what they do well.’ But I think the more guys that you can get in a system that can do a bunch of different things, the more success you’re going to have, and I think Cole is one of those guys.”AdvertisementBears quarterback Justin Fields (1) celebrates his touchdown run with tight end Cole Kmet (85) and other teammates against the Rams on Sept. 12, 2021, at Sofi Stadium in Inglewood, Calif. (Jose M. Osorio / Chicago Tribune)As Kmet navigates working under the new coaches, he tries to keep in mind what his uncle, Jeff Zgonina, once said about what it took to last 17 seasons in the NFL.Zgonina, who was a defensive lineman for seven teams, said, “You feel like you’re getting cut every day.” It doesn’t mean operating with fear, Kmet said, but an urgency to put in the work.“Regardless of whether it was the old regime, new regime, this is the NFL — jobs are on the line every day — so you’ve got to come to work with that,” Kmet said. “Like, it’s go time. There’s no reason not to study the night before. You’ve got to know your stuff before you come in. There’s no excuse for not knowing what to do on a play whether they installed it correctly or not. You’ve got all the sheets. You’ve got everything. You’ve got to be a pro and know what you’re doing.”ExpandAutoplayImage 1 of 11 Meet the Chicago Bears’ 2022 NFL draft class. (Jae C. Hong/AP)ExpandAutoplayImage 1 of 15New Bears coach Matt Eberflus speaks after being introduced on Jan. 31, 2022, at Halas Hall. (Brian Cassella / Chicago Tribune)