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The Bears paused when the NFL decided not to suspend Akiem Hicks for Sunday's game against the Miami Dolphins after the defensive lineman contacted an official in the fourth week's win against Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Hicks was relieved that he was not suspended and spent a lot of time after the September 30th match to think about his actions.
Hicks spoke publicly about this incident only Thursday at Halas Hall, because he wanted to address his teammates first. Specifically, Hicks wanted to make his younger teammates understand how wrong his actions were and how they could have had a much more negative impact if they had not come in a 38-point win.
"I know that there are a lot of young guys who respect me in this team, and it's hypocritical of me to do things like that and come back to the locker room and think that everything is in the sauce," said Hicks. "It does not work like that. So I wanted to make sure our guys knew how I felt about the situation, and then spent time with (the media). "
"… I wanted them to know how I felt about the situation and how bad my response to the situation was."
Hicks said he had never been ejected from a game before and felt he needed to return to the locker room before the rest of his teammates. He was fined $ 33,425 for contacting an official.
"You're sitting in the locker room," Hicks said. "It's just not something you're used to.
"So it was a relief not to be suspended, but it was also a moment of reflection for myself. My boys know that I'm going to be too hot, but I'm especially good when we have stuff in play in a game. I imagine that I look more at the possible penalties – what could have happened, the damage that I could have caused to our team. Let's say we were in a third and short and I'm getting a penalty like this and now they have a first try and a chance to win the match. These are the things with which you must be more disciplined. "
Coach Matt Nagy praised the way Hicks handled his ejection in the days following the event and said his message to the team had been well received.
"He was very sorry," said Nagy. "He knew he had made a mistake and that's not what he is. I think his record shows that. "
Hicks totaled three sacks, two forced fumbles and 15 presses (by Pro Football Focus) in three and a half games this year, so his availability against Miami will certainly be welcome for Vic Fangio's group. With the green light to play Sunday, Hicks presented his state of mind – and that's what he's done all season.
"Destroy," says Hicks. "Destroy everything."
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