UPDATE: Sepsis is gone, but Steve McMichael is still battling pneumonia.
HOMER GLEN, Ill. — Chicago Bears legend Steve McMichael was admitted to the ICU Thursday night for sepsis amid his ALS battle.
His family released a statement saying he is awake and alert. He will be in the ICU for a few more days on antibiotics to clear the infection. He is also being treated for fluid in the lungs.
The family stated, “he should be fine while he is fighting pneumonia and sepsis.”
According to a statement from family, “like the tough warrior he is” McMichael is now awake after being admitted to the hospital unconscious.
In Jan. 2021, McMichael was diagnosed with ALS and the Bears community and beyond has stood by his side in support.
A crowd gathered at the hospital Friday to wish him a speedy recovery. First responders and residents of Homer Glenn turned out after the mayor put out a call on Facebook.
His wife Misty said Friday that the support has meant everything to them.
“I think those prayers have kept him alive and the Hall of Fame hope, that dream is still alive, all that together is keeping him here with us,” she said. “The world is going be a sad place when he’s not here anymore so I appreciate the prayers and I want them to keep praying cause we got a whole other year to get through.”
McMichael was recently named one of the 12 players in the Seniors category that have moved on to the next round of voting for the Hall of Fame’s Class of 2024.
Last month, WGN’s Larry Hawley spent time with McMichael and Misty at their Homer Glen home.
“He flirts with me, he does with his eyebrows,” Misty said at the time. “He can be mad, too. Sometimes we’ll give him too much drugs and he’ll give us the ‘bulldog’ to let us know he’s had too much.”
The two-time first team NFL All-Pro and two-time Pro Bowl selection finished with 92.5 sacks and 12 forced fumbles in 191 games for the Bears from 1981 through 1993.
During his career, McMichael had 95 sacks, 13 forced fumbles, 17 fumble recoveries and three safeties. He also had 5.5 sacks in 12 playoff games during his tenure with the Bears.
