Longtime Indianapolis Colts cornerback Kelvin Hayden took a lot of heat from his childhood friends in Chicago when, during Super Bowl XLI, he picked off Bears quarterback Rex Grossman's pass for a touchdown in a 29-17 Colts victory.
Now a member of his hometown Chicago Bears, Hayden discussed with the Chicago Tribune a much more serious and worrisome theme in the city -- Chicago's crime rate.
"It definitely bothers you,'' Hayden said. "You hear about some adults and kids being shot, but I feel bad for the kids more than anything. You have kids showing gunshot wounds. It's like you can't really grow up and be a kid.''
While Chicago has gotten a bad reputation because of the crime, it's only gotten worse this past year. There were 366 homicides recorded from the beginning of the year to Sept. 2 compared to 282 over the same span last year, according to the Tribune.
Hayden, who grew up in Englewood, lost a friend to violence as an 11-year-old. His Bears open the season today against Indianapolis and first overall pick Andrew Luck.
Check out Windy City Gridiron for more on the Chicago Bears. You can also hit up SB Nation's NFL hub.