Chicago Bears training camp news: Velus Jones Jr. and Colts’ Michael Pittman once owned a pet ferret together

LAKE FOREST – Chicago Bears speedster Velus Jones Jr. mentioned his pet ferret Crash during Tuesday night’s episode of “Hard Knocks.” This is not the first time Crash – who died in 2020 – has been memorialized on TV.

CBS once told the story of Crash during the 2021 Tennessee vs. Georgia game. Jones has the video on his phone. Jones told members of the media all about Crash after practice Wednesday at Halas Hall. This is the Bears training camp story fans didn’t know they needed.

Jones and receiver Michael Pittman (now of the Indianapolis Colts) were roommates at USC a few years back when the Trojans visited Washington State. As was often the case in the Pac-12, they had a late kickoff. The team did a walkthrough early in the day, then had a lot of time to kill before the game.

With free time and no plans, Jones and Pittman headed to PetSmart. That’s where they were introduced to ferrets.

“We were like: What the hell are those things? You feel me?” Jones said. “Like these are ferrets. I went to put my hand in the tank and they were biting me on the hand and stuff. But it was like a cool experience. That was the younger ones. Then the older ones, they were just trying to grab onto your hand, but they didn’t bite as much.”

That day, Jones and Pittman decided they were going to buy a ferret. Back in Los Angeles, they looked up a ferret breeder on Craigslist, of all places. That’s how they found themselves in Pittman’s Camaro driving through the streets of South Central Los Angeles looking for the ferret breeder’s address.

“We went to South Central somewhere, went down some alleyway and looked at each other,” Jones said. “I told him to keep the car running.”

When a man emerged from a house with a ferret in his arms, they knew they were in the right place.

“It was the sketchiest thing ever,” Jones said.

It was the sketchiest thing ever.”

—  Velus Jones Jr., Bears running back

Crash, who was named after video game character Crash Bandicoot, was not cheap. He cost more than $300 dollars. He wasn’t a young ferret, but he was already neutered and de-scented. They took care of Crash for the rest of their time in Los Angeles. Quarterback JT Daniels would watch Crash from time to time, too. Pittman left for the NFL in the 2020 draft and Jones transferred to Tennessee.

Sadly, Crash had to be put down in 2020 when his hind legs became paralyzed. Pittman and some of their other friends will send pictures and videos of Crash from time to time.

“He’s a one-of-one,” Jones said. “You can’t get another one. One of a kind.”

On the football field in the present, Jones is working on a position change from wide receiver to running back. But Wednesday was all about memories of Crash.

Injury updates

Several expected starters returned to participation in team drills during practice Wednesday. Cornerbacks Kyler Gordon and Tyrique Stevenson both participated in portions of 11-on-11 before calling it a day. Both are working their way back into practice slowly. Gordon has not practiced in about three weeks.

Right guard Nate Davis was a full participant in team drills for the first time in about two weeks. Defensive end Montez Sweat also returned to team drills after missing some time.

Additionally, the following players did not practice Wednesday: safety Jaquan Brisker, quarterback Brett Rypien, safety Adrian Colbert, receiver DeAndre Carter, linebacker Noah Sewell, long snapper Patrick Scales, defensive end Jacob Martin, lineman Theo Benedet, lineman Ryan Bates and receiver Collin Johnson.

All of those injuries are undisclosed. The Bears are not required to give injury updates until Week 1 of the regular season.

Practice highlights

In a two-minute drill Wednesday, the Bears defense kept the offense out of the end zone. On third-and-10 from the 19-yard line, with the clock ticking down to zero, quarterback Caleb Williams zipped a pass toward receiver Dante Pettis in the corner of the end zone. Through heavy traffic, Pettis got his hands on the ball, but he couldn’t haul it in.

Previously in the two-minute drill, Williams connected with tight end Cole Kmet and running back D’Andre Swift for short gains. From the 38-yard line, Williams threw over the middle for Kmet again, this time going for a 19-yard gain into the red zone.

Earlier in practice, Sweat chased Williams from the pocket and recorded a sack [with no actual hitting, of course]. Williams got up in Sweat’s face for a brief moment. It was all good though. Williams had a big smile on his face and seemed to be letting the veteran defensive end know he made a good play.