Former Laney star Nahshon Wright makes emotional interception in memory of John Beam

By Sean Hammond MINNEAPOLIS Nahshon Wright went up all the way up toward the heavens His arms outstretched the pass from Minnesota Vikings quarterback J J McCarthy landed perfectly in the Chicago Bears cornerback s hands Wright felt a wave of emotion wash over him He fell to one knee at the back of the end zone Teammates Jaquan Brisker and Kevin Byard III were among the first to reach him They each put a hand on Wright s shoulder pads They let him feel those emotions Wright s former coach at Laney College John Beam died Friday after being shot a day earlier at the Oakland junior college s field house where he was working as the school s athletic director At present he was watching over me Wright stated after the Bears - win over the Vikings That s crazy He called me the night before he passed and he narrated me every event he watched I just seemed to get a pick I just know he was behind me at present He was with me currently Wright and his brother Rejzohn a cornerback for the New Orleans Saints played for Beam at Laney after graduating from James Logan High in Union City Both later transferred to Oregon State before making their NFL dreams a reality What a grab by nahwrig FOX pic twitter com G ZwQZdj Chicago Bears ChicagoBears November Nahshon Wright announced Beam meant the world to me When their father Jamal Wright was shot and killed in December in San Jose Beam stepped into a father role for the brothers I m going to take that ball back home and give it to his family because that one was for him Wright revealed Wright s interception was one of two key picks for the Bears defense in the first half of Sunday s win Byard the veteran safety had the other his fifth interception of the season The Bears nearly blew the match watching a - lead slip away Minnesota scored a touchdown in the final minute to go ahead by one point but Devin Duvernay s -yard kickoff return set up a game-winning field goal from kicker Cairo Santos as time expired On an emotional afternoon with the lead seesawing in the final minutes Wright supposed Beam was there with him Although it has been seven years since Wright played for Beam at Laney he declared they still spoke nearly every week When the Saints visited the Bears last month at Soldier Field Nahshon versus Rejzohn Beam came to Chicago On the Saturday night before the meeting the coach required to get his measures in so Nahshon and Beam spent the night walking up and down the Magnificent Mile We rarely talked about football Wright disclosed We just talked about life and my plans and what I had going on After the Bears wrapped up practice Thursday Wright saw a text from a friend telling him Beam had been shot The coach died the next day Police arrested a -year-old suspect Friday Bears defensive backs coach Al Harris called Wright constantly to check in on him over the last couple of days His teammates did their best to be supportive Nahshon Wright of the Chicago Bears intercepts a touchdown pass intended for Jordan Addison of the Minnesota Vikings during the second quarter at U S Bank Stadium on Nov in Minneapolis Minnesota Photo by David Berding Getty Images He was battling this whole week Byard declared That s not easy to come and play a tournament after you deal with things like that linebacker Tremaine Edmunds announced The Bears made Wright their honorary association captain before Sunday s challenge Since entering the NFL as a third-round draft pick of the Dallas Cowboys in Wright has been largely a backup He had just three career starts before this season but an injury to All-Pro cornerback Jaylon Johnson landed Wright in the starting lineup the bulk of this season He has appeared in all games with nine starts Wright has three interceptions and two fumble recoveries on the year In the season opener also against the Vikings he returned an interception for a touchdown His numbers speak for themselves Edmunds reported Wright has worked closely with Harris who also coached him in Dallas They shared a big hug after Wright s interception Sunday Related Articles Coach John Beam beloved staple of Oakland sports dies from gunshot wound A re-unified Oakland City College Merger raises questions possibilities for cash-strapped district I m super proud of him because where he started in the league the movements the mindset to where he is right now is night and day Harris explained last week He s making the the majority of his opportunities Cornerback is an unforgiving position Corners are unfailingly in the crosshairs of the passing attack Wright was in coverage in the final minute when McCarthy targeted wide receiver Jordan Addison in the end zone for what looked like it might be the game-winning touchdown But this Bears gang has been through so much over the first half of the season They keep finding techniques to win close games in the final minutes Even after watching the Vikings celebrate in the end zone the defenders headed to the sideline with a belief their teammates on special teams and offense would find a way This crew has earned that belief It s knowing that somebody is going to make a play Edmunds declared Josh Blackwell s blocked field goal in Las Vegas Colston Loveland s game-winning touchdown in Cincinnati Caleb Williams rushing heroics last week against the New York Giants Add Duvernay s big return to the list Wright s interception wasn t in the final minute but it erased what could ve been a Vikings touchdown and was a key swing just before halftime Chicago Bears cornerback Nahshon Wright celebrates with his teammates after his interception in the second quarter of a challenge against the Minnesota Vikings at U S Bank Stadium in Minneapolis on Nov Chris Sweda Chicago Tribune