Had Cody Parkey’s field goal gone through the uprights on Sunday — instead of caroming off the left one, bouncing off the crossbar and landing with a thud in the end zone — the Bears would have been flying to Los Angeles for a playoff game Friday.
Instead, with his team eliminated from the playoffs after his 43-yard miss with 10 seconds left against the Eagles, Parkey did a national television appearance.
He stood and waved into the camera on NBC’s “Today” show before a commercial break, and later answered five minutes of questions that focused more on his reaction to his miss than the details of it.
Parkey spoke of pointing to the sky after every kick — make or miss — and praying on the field after the game. His wife Colleen made an on-camera appearance, saying she “couldn’t be more proud” of the way her husband handled the negative reaction from the kick. When someone read a quote of support from teammate Akiem Hicks, he smiled.
At one point, “Today” host Savannah Gurthrie gushed: “I think they should have MHPs — Most Honorable Player.”
For some Chicago fans, praise of Parkey’s behavior at his lowest moment might have proved too much to bear, only five days after the team’s playoff hopes were crushed at Soldier Field. It’s fair to wonder what Parkey accomplished, too, by opening a wound that, for fans, had just begun to scab.
None of Parkey’s teammates did national television interviews this week, but Parkey spoke on one of America’s most popular shows, his segment placed between a story about emojis and an interview with actress Natalie Portman.
“I feel worse than anybody about missing that kick, because I wanted to make it more than anybody,” he said. “At the end of the day, I’m going to hold my head high. When things aren’t going my way, I’m going to continue to think positive and keep swinging.”
Parkey said he got a good snap and hold from, respectively, Patrick Scales and Pat O’Donnell. He tried to play the wind. He didn’t know his ball was tipped — it grazed Eagles defensive lineman Treyvon Hester’s fingertip at the line of scrimmage — until later.
“I saw it hit the upright, and it hit the crossbar, and I’m like, ‘Surely, it will go in,’” he said. “Unfortunately, it bounces toward me. I’m disappointed I let the fans, my teammates and the organization down, but I’ll continue to keep my head held high.”
Parkey said he’s stayed off social media but got “a lot of positive messages” from his friends and family. He and his wife drove home to Florida for the offseason this week.
Before the segment ended, the hosts actually asked Parkey if he was rooting for the Saints or Eagles this week.
He didn’t give an answer.
“I’m a Bears’ fan through and through, regardless,” he said.
