Chicago Shows the Love (and Support) for Jeff Dickerson and His Family

I didn’t catch much of the news cycle yesterday as I spent most of the day on the couch sleeping away COVID-19 symptoms, but I did see the terrible news of the passing of long-time Bears beat writer, Jeff Dickerson. And as a father, and a human, it was unfortunate. I wasn’t lucky enough to have met Dickerson, but I was fortunate enough to have read and listened to his work for the last two decades of my life, and that I will miss.

Those who were lucky enough to know Jeff continue to share their stories and memories of Jeff and wish his son, Parker, and the rest of his family well, both locally and nationally.

Bears head coach Matt Nagy opened his mid-week media availability with some kind words and shared memories with Jeff from the coach’s time here in Chicago.

Eddie Jackson and Darnell Mooney also took time during their media sessions today to send their best wishes to Parker and the rest of the Dickerson family. The local outpouring of sadness and support has been wide-reaching already today. Luis spent some time this morning in today’s bullets sharing some of the best stories and thoughts on JD from many of the Chicago media members that knew him well, but the support has continued throughout the day.

Adam Schefter shared this fantastic piece from a former colleague, Kevin Seifert:

Courtney Cronin, who covers the Minnesota Vikings currently over at ESPN, put together a touching and personal tribute to Jeff:

Matt Spiegel of The Score, who worked with Jeff during his time as a producer at the score when Jeff was an intern, dating back to the Belmont Avenue days of 670 The Score, had this to say:

As the kind words and memories continue to roll in, the financial support continues to as well.

Philadelphia Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie leads all donors with his $10,000 contribution to Parker’s Fund, which has swelled to $377,111 at the time of publishing. Chicago Cubs owner Tom Ricketts and the Chicago Blackhawks have each kicked in $5,000 donations, and there are many more generous donors with names you would recognize in the list of donors. Adam Schefter has spent the day pushing the fund to his 8.9 million Twitter followers, reminding us all that that app can indeed be used for good from time to time.

Obvious Shirts is pitching in with a shirt/sweatshirt design honoring Jeff with 100 percent of the proceeds going to Parker’s Fund as well, and they’re reporting that they’ve already raised $15,000 through the sale of the JD shirts on their site!

https://twitter.com/obvious_shirts/status/1476279503215280140?s=20

Between the Twitter heavyweights pushing the fund, pro athletes and team owners, and the loyal Chicago sports community, I wouldn’t be surprised if Parker’s Fund cracked a half-million by tomorrow, and that’s proof of the power of the reputation left behind by Jeff Dickerson. Jeff touched many lives, whether as a friend, family member, colleague, or even simply your voice for Chicago Bears news and analysis for the last 20 years.

written by

Patrick grew up in Chicago's Bridgeport and Garfield Ridge neighborhoods before moving to the Western Suburbs of Chicago before eventually relocating to the Las Vegas area with his family in 2023. He started with Bleacher Nation in 2021 and has spent time as a Staff Writer and on the Chicago Blackhawks beat. He is currently a writer and editor at Bleacher Nation covering the Chicago Bears and the NFL at large and the author of the Bleacher Nation Newsletter. Patrick is a member of the Pro Football Writers of America (PFWA).

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