Former Bears defensive tackle Steve McMichael, who was admitted to ICU on Thursday as he navigated a urinary tract infection, was “improving” after receiving antibiotics, according to Jarrett Payton, the son of legendary Chicago running back Walter Payton, and McMichael’s family.
McMichael, 66, also will have fluid drained from his lungs via the procedure thoracentesis.
Payton wrote on X that McMichael is expected to get released from the hospital at some point in the coming days.
It marked the latest development over the last week-plus that started with McMichael’s election to the Pro Football Hall of Fame as a member of its Class of 2024.
He was one of three former Bears stars — alongside Devin Hester and Julius Peppers — selected for the latest induction ceremony.
McMichael was initially admitted to Silver Cross Hospital with a fever and suspected pneumonia, according to ABC7 Chicago, but his family later released another statement clarifying that he was battling a UTI.
McMichael spent 13 years with the Bears, recording 92.5 sacks between 1981-93 and helping Chicago win the only Super Bowl title in franchise history as a member of the legendary 1985 defense.
He also set a Bears record by appearing in 191 consecutive games, according to the team.
But since 2021, he’s battled ALS — a diagnosis he received that January as a 63-year-old, according to the Bears’ website — and was admitted to the Silver Cross Hospital’s intensive care unit in August with sepsis and pneumonia.
McMichael can’t move on his own or speak, according to the Chicago Sun-Times, but when the Class of 2024 members were revealed Friday, people gathered around McMichael at his home and congratulated him with cheers and applause as cameras captured the moment.
Former Bears teammate — and current Hall of Famers — Richard Dent originally FaceTimed McMichael and his wife, Misty, to delivery the news.
“In the NFL world, we’ve known he should’ve been in the Hall of Fame a long time ago,” Misty McMichael, his wife, said from the NFL Honors ceremony in Los Angeles after his presence in the Class of 2024 was announced. “But I wanted the whole world to know.
“And now, finally, the whole world knows. Forever and ever.”
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