Bradley Sowell will never forget the last time Chuck Pagano returned from a forced coaching leave.
It was late in the 2012 season, roughly three months after the then-Indianapolis Colts rookie head coach was diagnosed with leukemia. Sowell, now a Bears tight end, was a rookie offensive lineman at the time and describes the emotional scene of his head coach’s return following a leave of absence to undergo chemotherapy.
“It was a crazy moment,” Sowell recalled. “I’ll never forget when he walked in the locker room, he walked in and everyone just broke down crying. He’s such a genuine person, a player’s coach.