Bears' Akiem Hicks Hangs up on Chicago Radio Host After Ill-Timed Joke About Injury

Count Chicago Bears' defensive tackle Akiem Hicks as another NFL player with a grudge against the media.

Hicks appeared on the Waddle & Silvy show when Tom Waddle, a former Bears wide receiver, made an ill-advised joke about Hicks' elbow injury, causing him to hang up the phone.

Hicks was pleading with Bears fans to stick with them through thick and thin and defended the team, stating that they would never try to purposefully get themselves into a situation where they'd have a losing season.

However, just as Hicks was finishing up that comment, Waddle interjected by saying, “You mean you didn’t put your arm in between those two Raiders and it popped out of joint on purpose?”

Waddle was referring to the elbow injury that Hicks suffered against the Oakland Raiders in Week 5, landing him on injured reserve.

Hicks did not take kindly to that at all, accusing Waddle of making light of a serious injury and pledging to never go on the show ever again, which is serious news considering how Waddle & Silvy has been on the air for 13 years and is a staple on Chicago sports radio.

Hicks' reaction is pretty justifiable. Under no circumstances should a member of the media make fun of an incredibly serious injury, no matter how lighthearted the joke may have seemed at first, and especially if that member of the media suffered a career-ending football injury himself, as Waddle did when a partially torn knee ligament ended his career in 1994.

It's difficult to justify Waddle's statement as a joke, even if he directed it towards aggravated Bears fans who are disappointed with how this season has gone thus far. We'll see if Hicks and Waddle can ever make amends, but for now, you can expect Hicks to boycott Waddle & Silvy for the foreseeable future.