All-star Kobe Bryant and Dwayne Wade had some words of encouragement for Chicago Bears kicker Cody Parkey who missed a last-second field-goal attempt to win the Wild Card game.
“We’ve all been here Cody but if you wanna win back the city you gotta get back in the lab and have a historic season next year to bury this one. I’m happy for my #EaglesNation, but as a fellow pro athlete you gotta grind harder and double down #noexcuses #JGSD justgetsh*tdone,” the 40-year-old retired professional basketball player shared, per ESPN’s Instagram post on Monday, along with a shot of Parkey from Sunday’s playoff game against the Philadelphia Eagles.
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Meanwhile, the Miami Heat player credited Parkey for showing total class and keeping his composure while talking to the media after the game about missing the shot, that everyone tuned in to see, which would have taken the Bears to the next round in the NFL playoffs. (RELATED: Here Are The Best Moments From Week 17 Of The NFL Season)
“Most of you have no idea how hard this is to do. Cody Parkey way to face the media like a true professional. I am a fan,” Wayde tweeted, along with a clip of the Bears’ postgame comments where Parkey told reporters, “It’s one of the worst feelings in the world to let your team down. I feel terrible.”
Most of you have no idea how hard this is to do. Cody Parkey way to face the media like a true professional. I’m a fan! https://t.co/xbJ5kW6pXF
— DWade (@DwyaneWade) January 7, 2019
And they weren’t the only ones, Eagles Jake Elliott called the Bears’ player a “class act.”
“This is a stand-up guy that a lot of young players can look up to. This is how you handle adversity like a pro. Cody is a heck of a kicker and will be for a long time. No reason to be taking the heat he is especially when that ball was tipped. #ClassAct,” Elliott tweeted.
This is a stand up guy that a lot of young players can look up to. This is how you handle adversity like a pro. Cody is a heck of a kicker and will be for a long time. No reason to be taking the heat he is especially when that ball was tipped. #ClassAct https://t.co/Ae2kr0DYIy
— Jake Elliott (@jake_elliott22) January 7, 2019
With 10 seconds left in the game, Parkey took the field to attempt his fourth field goal of the day, a 43-yard field goal when the ball was tipped, hit one of the uprights and then came down and bounced off the crossbar, resulting in a 16-15 victory for the returning Super Bowl Champions.
As one outlet noted, the Bear’s kicker might have practice at hitting the uprights after discovering a video posted in 2015 on his social media account looking back to where it all started showing him kicking a ball not past, but at a light post.
“Back where it all started kicking footballs at the JCP light post! #AimSmallMissSmall,” Parkey captioned the clip.
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