The Chicago Bears signed Barkevious Mingo last offseason in hopes he could become a decent contributor at outside linebacker. All things considered? He had a solid season. In 16 games including three starts, he finished with 2.5 sacks, five QB hits, and 35 tackles. He was particularly effective in stopping the run. Some even hoped the team might try to retain him this offseason. He chose to sign with Atlanta instead.

That decision turned out to be a huge blessing in disguise for the Bears. Early on Saturday, July 10th, TMZ broke the news that Mingo had been arrested down in Arlington, Texas. The charge? Child indecency and sexual contact. Big yikes. Mingo turned himself in and later posted bond and was released. If this turns out to be serious, the 30-year old could face the next two decades in prison.

“30-year-old Mingo — who was the 6th overall pick in the 2013 NFL Draft — was arrested July 8 by Arlington Police Department … and booked into Tarrant County jail for “indecency with a child, sexual contact,” according to court records and law enforcement officials.

We’re told the charge is a 2nd degree felony. If convicted, a 2nd degree felony can carry up to a 20 year prison sentence in Texas.

Mingo’s bond was set at $25K … and he was released the following morning.”

It is always important not to jump to conclusions.

Innocent until proven guilty and all that. Details have not been disclosed on exactly why Mingo was arrested. One can imagine those will paint a clearer picture of this case. It could be a huge misunderstanding. Or it could be even worse than feared. Nobody knows and so it is important not to pass judgment this early. Even so, the idea that the linebacker might’ve been a closet pedophile is hard to grasp.

This would be another ugly reminder that professional sports are not made up exclusively of saints. There are a lot of bad human beings mixed in there. Those who are good at projecting a certain image while being someone totally different behind the scenes. Mingo wouldn’t be the first to do something like that. Not the last either. Here is hoping none of it ends up being true.

Chicago Bears chose to pivot away from Mingo

Did they have an inkling that something like this was coming? Probably not. The more likely explanation is they were looking to get more juice for their pass rush after what happened last season. Mingo has never been known for that. He’s more of a quality run defender who adds special teams value. So the Bears chose to sign veteran Jeremiah Attaochu instead. He had five sacks last season in Denver. He will compete with second-year man Trevis Gipson for the primary backup spot.

******************************UPDATE************************************

Mingo’s camp hasn’t wasted time challenging this story. His attorney Lukas Garcia calls the allegations “completely baseless.” It turns out they stem from two years ago and a totally untrue. Garcia seems to believe this is a money grab of some kind. Given enough time, the linebacker will be exonerated.

A statement from the Lukas Garcia, attorney for #Falcons LB Barkevious Mingo, who was recently charged with indecency with a child. Garcia calls the charge “completely baseless: pic.twitter.com/OksG4Xe414

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) July 10, 2021

It sounds like his camp is quite confident in their case. The fact it took two years for this to happen does raise unusual questions. As always, it comes down to a burden of proof. The plaintiffs will have to provide enough to get him convicted. Either that or put enough pressure on him to reach a financial settlement. It sounds like Mingo’s lawyer has no intention of letting it get even that far.

Here is hoping this proves accurate. It wouldn’t be easy knowing the Chicago Bears employed a potential pedophile without realizing it.