Devin Hester is without question one of the most revered Chicago Bears in team history. The joy and thrills he brought fans for seven years are unparalleled. People had never seen anything like him before. They also know they won’t see anything like him again. Not only because Hester is a once-in-a-generation talent but also because the NFL has forever changed the rules for kick and punt returns.
Hester was a whirlwind when he arrived in Chicago. All people knew was he had loads of athletic talent and was a good returner out of Miami. Outside of that, he had intriguing upside as a defensive back. People had no idea just how electric he was. Otherwise, the Bears vastly overreached taking him in the second round of the 2006 draft.
Hester responded to those critics with five return touchdowns as a rookie, including an unforgettable one to kick off Super Bowl XLI. A year later he would break the NFL record with six. By the time he left Chicago in 2014 he’d compiled a record 18 kick or punt returns for touchdowns, shattering the old mark of 13 set by Brian Mitchell.
Since then people have wondered about his big secret. Was it his speed, his agility his vision that made him so good? Turns out Devin, sly little man that he is, had another strategy.
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Devin Hester greased the refs before every return
Hester made an appearance down at the Pro Bowl in Orlando where NFL insider Jay Glazer talked with him about his tremendous career. Inevitably the question came up about how he had so much success. Hester then admitted that he would give the referees massages before each return chance, begging them to hold off from throwing flags. One can’t say it didn’t work. The absurd rate at which he racked up touchdowns seems to show his “grease the wheels” policy may have some merit.
