Bears WR Clears Air After Prank on Rookie Teammate Goes Viral

Bears Rookie Prank

One of the Chicago Bears players had to explain a video of the team’s prank on rookie wide receiver Tyler Scott that went viral.

The clip showed Scott, a fifth-round pick in this year’s draft, being shown the $20,000 bill and being told he would have to pay. Scott, naturally, appeared a bit shellshocked by the tab, but fellow wideout Daurice Fountain – who initially shared the video on his Instagram account – cleared the air.

Bears’ Daurice Fountain Clears Air After Prank on Tyler Scott

Teammate Prank Bears Rookie

“Before everyone starts tripping, it was a joke, the bill WASN’T 20k and he didn’t have to pay,” Fountain said in a quote tweet of his video on August 18. We just wanted to scare him a little bit, S/O little Ty Ty.”

Fountain also noted that Scott was “over here stressing” in the original clip.

That $20,000 tab might seem like a pittance. It is “just” 1.4% of his rookie earnings and 0.4% of his total rookie scale contract. It also would have been gone in one transaction. That was a daunting prospect nonetheless for Scott whose momentary anguish was enjoyed by teammates Justin Fields and Chase Claypool among others.

“That man’s head exploded,” tweeted @FishGuyBry in the comments while @chilerrato tweeted, “Tyler is a good kid I feel bad.”

Scott, 21, is set to earn $1.4 million this coming season on his four-year, $4.5 million contract.

Fountain, 27, is a fifth-year player out of Northern Iowa. He is heading into his second season as a part of the Bears organization, spending each of the last two training camps with Chicago. He has not yet gotten on the field for them, though.

The Bears have revamped their wide receiver corps since this time last season. They added Claypool and the new No. 1 option DJ Moore. The latter’s addition allows everyone to slot into a more favorable role. That means it will be even more challenging for Fountain to see the field this season. But he could stick with the Bears’ practice squad for a second consecutive season.

He could also be set for an increased workload in Week 2 – and possibly even Week 3 – of the preseason.

Bears Announce Plans for Preseason Week 2

While Scott and his teammates celebrated, the Bears have decided on who will and won’t play in Saturday’s Week 2 preseason showdown against the Indianapolis Colts. Head coach Matt Eberflus cited the week of joint practices with the Colts as being sufficient for him. He is opting to not risk exposing Fields and various other starters to injury.

The Bears have dealt with a slew of them this offseason. Projected starters Nate Davis and DeMarcus Walker just returned to practice in the last week or so. Starting middle linebacker Tremaine Edmunds and safety Jaquan Brisker remained sidelined as did Claypool.

It will be interesting to see which direction Eberflus opts to go in Week 3 of the preseason.

The starters will have played just two short series together in four weeks once the regular season starts if they sit out of Week 3 too.