The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
Family lauds Trubisky for gesture after fan dies
University of Kansas equipment manager was Bears supporter
Since his days at Mentor High School, Mitchell Trubisky’s nature has been to help others.
Recently, the Bears quarterback again did his best to help others in need.
On July 11, the University of Kansas football program and his hometown near Chicago was stunned when the team’s equipment manager Jack Roche was killed in a car accident.
When word of the accident reached Trubisky, it touched a chord in the four-year pro.
That’s because it was revealed to Trubisky that the 21-year-old Roche was a big Bears and Trubisky fan.
So Trubisky did what he could to help ease the pain of the Roche family. He sent a hand-written letter and a signed Bears jersey to the family. Here’s Trubisky’s letter: “I’m so very sorry for your family’s loss. My deepest sympathies go out to you and your family. I got word that Jack was a huge Bears fans and also a fan of mine. I can’t tell you what that means to me.
“I wanted to gift the family with a signed jersey of mine in honor of Jack. Your family is in my prayers and I pray for your family’s peace and strength during these tough times.
“God bless you guys and again my heart goes out to you and your family.”
Kansas coach Les Miles said in July the team was “heartbroken” by Roche’s death. Roche was a popular senior manager who died after being hit by a vehicle in Mount Greenwood, a community on the south side of Chicago.
Trubisky going out of his way to help others in need isn’t new. Former Mentor assistant coach Jeff Fink marveled at Trubisky’s generosity even at a young age.
On the day Trubisky won the Mr. Football Award in 2012 as a Mentor senior, he and Fink were talking about how Trubisky would celebrate with his family that night.
“He was like, ‘Coach before I do anything I have to go see a sick kid in the hospital,’ “said Fink around the time Trubisky was entering the 2017 NFL draft. “That was Mitch — a great guy.”
Trubisky is expected to be a in a battle for his starter’s spot the last two seasons. The Bears traded for Super Bowl-winning quarterback Nick Foles in the offseason to compete with Trubisky.
Reports out of Chicago say Trubisky is in great shape, studied game film tirelessly in the offseason and ready for the challenge put upon him by Coach Matt Nagy.
Trubisky was the No. 2 overall pick in the 2017 draft and became the starter a few weeks into his rookie season. He made the Pro Bowl in 2018 after throwing for 3,223 yards and 24 touchdowns, but wasn’t as effective in 2019. He threw for 3,138 yards and 17 TDs. His passer rating was 83.0, compared to 95.4 in 2018.