Nate Davis says Chicago Bears fully supported him during tough time

LAKE FOREST – Bears guard Nate Davis said he felt the full support of the Bears organization as he dealt with the death of a close family member last month.

Davis lost a family member following a prolonged illness, which explained his frequent absences throughout the offseason program and during training camp.

The Bears had never clarified what exactly was going on with Davis’ frequent absences. Head coach Matt Eberflus stuck to his policy of not discussing player absences during training camp. After missing much of camp, Davis returned and played in Week 1. Then he missed the next two games as he dealt with the death in his family. He was technically available in Week 3, but he did not play against the Chiefs. He returned last week to face the Broncos.

Speaking publicly for the first time in more than a month on Wednesday, Davis said the Bears supported him fully.

“From day one, they understood what was going on and they were there for me,” Davis said. “Anything I needed, they tried to help me out as best as possible. It’s one of those things where you can never really understand how to truly navigate it. To try to do the best to communicate both ways. Definitely, I couldn’t ask for any better.”

After going through the last several months, Davis said “there’s no clear cut answer” when it comes to being mentally right to play football.

“Everyone handles it differently,” Davis said. “For me, it’s just being able to talk to the guys, talk to my family and, like I’ve really been saying, just take it one day at a time because it’s tough, for sure.”

During his frequent absences during training camp, rumors swirled online as to what could be the cause of Davis’ absence. Davis did his best to ignore all that and focus on himself and his family. What he was dealing with was personal and he wanted to keep it that way, he said Wednesday at Halas Hall.

He said he had discussions with his coaches and together they decided on the right approach for Davis while he was dealing with the personal issue at home. Davis said being around his teammates has helped, too.

[I] really just lean on the guys. This is a great team. These guys have really just been there for me, during a tough time, especially. That’s really all I can say. Lean on my family, my teammates and take it one day at a time.”

—  Nate Davis, Bears guard

“[I] really just lean on the guys,” Davis said. “This is a great team. These guys have really just been there for me, during a tough time, especially. That’s really all I can say. Lean on my family, my teammates and take it one day at a time.”

Davis started last week against Denver and should continue to start at right guard as long as he remains healthy.