Former Chicago Bears Super Bowl Winner Arrested on Murder Charge

The 1985 Chicago Bears were one of the greatest teams in the history of sports. There was no more exciting defense than the Monsters of the Midway. They had some of the biggest names on the team, including Walter Payton, Richard Dent, Mike Singletary, and the list  could go on and on. One lesser known name was Mike Richardson, but now he’s become infamous, as he was arrested on a murder charge in Phoenix.

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Via Arizona Republic: 

Phoenix police late Wednesday identified Michael Richardson as the suspect in the fatal shooting of 47-year-old Ronald Like.

ABC 15 reported that the suspect was the same Michael Richardson who rose to fame in the NFL. Richardson was an All-Pro cornerback and Super Bowl champion with the 1985 Chicago Bears. He was a starter on the famed Bears defense that helped lead the team to an 18-1 record and a victory in Super Bowl XX.

Richardson also played college football at Arizona State University (1979-82) and is a Sun Devil Hall of Famer.

Police at about 9 a.m. on Tuesday responded to a shooting in the area of 40th and Van Buren streets, where officers found Like with a severe gunshot wound.

He was transported to a hospital in critical condition.

Like was later pronounced dead, and police began investigating the shooting as a homicide.

Richardson was arrested Wednesday and charged with murder, misconduct involving weapons and a felony warrant.

He was booked into a Maricopa County jail where he is being held without bond, according to online jail records. He is scheduled to appear in court Jan. 7.

This is not Richardson’s first brush with the law.

In 2010, ESPN reported:

Richardson was released from custody on Aug. 2 and a 13-year prison sentence cut short by almost 10 and a half years after an Orange County appellate court found that he had not violated terms of probation after a 2008 conviction for sales of narcotics. It was Richardson’s 21st conviction on drug-related charges and his fifth felony in 16 years.

Always sad to see a former athlete hit rock bottom.

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