Chicago Bears: Roquan Smith out indefinitely, team handling well

Chicago Bears linebacker Roquan Smith did not suit up in Week 4, and may not suit up for a while.

Last Sunday morning, prior to the Chicago Bears taking on the Minnesota Vikings at Soldier Field, we received an unfortunate report. Stud linebacker Roquan Smith was a surprise inactive for the Bears, which the team said was for “personal reasons.”

Since then, everyone from fans to analysts and insiders have been wondering just what exactly is going on with Smith. Someone even tweeted a photo of a car crash, alluding to the thought that it was Smith’s car which was involved.

On Monday, head coach Matt Nagy was pretty stern with the media when it came to questions about Smith. Per ABC7 Chicago, this is essentially how the topic was addressed.

"NAGY: “Again, he’s completely a personal issue. For us, it’s something that we’re gonna leave it at that right now.”Was Smith involved in an illegal incident over the weekend?Nagy: “Personal issue.”When will you decide if Smith travels to London for the Raiders game?Nagy: “Again, personal issue.”Will Smith be subject to internal discipline?Nagy: “It’s completely a personal issue. I’m not going to answer any more about it. That’s where it’s at right now. I understand where you all are coming from, but out of respect to this right now, I just want to leave it at that.”"

Regardless of your opinion on the matter, at this point, what anyone thinks about Smith’s situation is irrelevant. The fact of the matter is, Smith is dealing with something personal — that’s all we know.

That is absolutely all we know. The rest is pure speculation.

With that said, fans should be proud of the way coach Nagy is handling the situation. He’s given Smith the privacy he deserves, as well as the time he deserves as a human being.

From the team’s perspective, Nagy seems to be handling it well. He’s going to prepare the team, business as usual. It will be Nick Kwiatkoski suiting up once again when the Bears take on the Oakland Raiders in London.

Following the London tilt, the Bears go into their bye week. Maybe we will hear more on Smith’s status by then — or, maybe we won’t. Whether we find out more shouldn’t matter.

What does matter, however, is the well-being of Smith as a person. Beyond anything football related, it’s all about Smith taking care of himself.

For the Bears and their fans, it’s about winning games. That’s priority number one. It’s the end-all, be-all. This team proved to be resilient without key starters against the Vikings, and we’re going to see if they can do it once again versus the Raiders in Week 5.