Chicago Bears’ wide receiver Rome Odunze broke his silence after his father took issue with the second-year player’s discreet performance against the Cincinnati Bengals. One would imagine a 47-42 game would have a lot of actions from Odunze, but he caught zero passes on three targets.
After the game was over, Odunze’s father, James, sent a message on social media to suggest that the Bears should send the player to a team that “actually throws to him,” adding that the former Washington star.
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On Thursday, Odunze shared his thoughts on his father’s comments. He dismissed them by saying he has his own voice.
“I don’t make a big deal out of it,” Odunze said, per Courtney Cronin of ESPN. “Obviously, he has his opinions, and I have mine. And he feels like he needs to voice those things on social media. That’s his prerogative. But he speaks for himself. I speak for myself.”
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Additionally, Odunze clarified that he didn’t take issue with his performance against the Bengals and confirmed that he remains focused on helping the team in any way he can.
“Oh, man, I’m happy,” Odunze said. “I’m just trying to do my job within this organization as a leader, as a person, as an individual and then as a football player. So, trying to excel at a Hall of Fame level in those aspects. That’s all I’m focused on.”
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After nine weeks, he leads the Bears in targets (59), receiving yards (473) and receiving touchdowns (5). Chicago has been a pleasant surprise this season, with Caleb Williams thriving under Ben Johnson. At 5-3, they are in the mix to win the NFC North division and advance to the NFL playoffs for the first time since 2020.
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