An inordinate number of gorgeous women are walking around the downtown Hyatt, some of them there to stare at Bears cornerback Nathan Vasher and others waiting patiently for Vasher to start staring at them.
On this night the 23-year-old NFL standout is a celebrity judge for a Maxim magazine model contest. Before the stunning hopefuls parade past him, he is asked a simple question: Does he have a girlfriend?
“No,” says Vasher, who is then asked the most obvious question of 2005: Why not?
“If you don’t have to choose, why choose?” Vasher replies.
Ah, to be young and single and a Bear in Chicago as the city gets fired up over the resurgence of its NFL team.
On Wednesday, Vasher and five teammates were honored as the league’s top players by being voted to the Pro Bowl, which only raises their profiles in a town that loves its football superstars.
It’s a lifestyle to be envied, certainly, but despite his occasional forays into the city from his home in north suburban Mundelein, Vasher isn’t going to remind Chicago sports fans of legendary party boy Dennis Rodman.
“I’m a quiet guy,” Vasher says. “I like to go out and have my fun and stuff, but I’m real reserved. I just like to hang out with my friends and just listen to some music. Nothing too outgoing. But when I turn it on, I can turn it on with the best of them.”
As much fun as he’s having off the field, it doesn’t compare to the fun he’s having on it. After a promising rookie year in 2004 in which he led the Bears with five interceptions, Vasher is tied for second in the NFL this season with eight.
But it was his 108-yard touchdown return of a missed field goal attempt last month–the longest TD in the history of the league–that put Vasher in another stratosphere. Invitations from ESPN, Fox Sports and other national media poured in, and the Pro Football Hall of Fame requested his jersey and the ball.
“Hopefully when I turn 50 I can take my kids there, and their kids can take their kids there and see that,” Vasher says. “It was just an awesome play, and it’s still something I can’t put in perspective how huge it is. But it’s a great honor.”
It’s not hard for Vasher to stay grounded. His family, especially his mother, Monica, has been a guiding force since Vasher was growing up in Texarkana, Texas, and playing college football at the University of Texas.
Monica has seen him play only once in the NFL, in large part because she suffers from bipolar disorder and doesn’t like to travel. Vasher has spoken openly about his mother’s condition, and he plans to start a foundation soon.
“I think it’s something that a lot of families in the U.S. in general have issues with, but it’s something they try to keep under wraps and not talk about,” Vasher says. “We feel like if we can open ourselves and extend that kind of knowledge on those experiences it makes other people more comfortable.”
It’s not rare for a fourth-round pick like Vasher to become a star in the NFL, though in his case there was little to indicate that this 5-foot-10 cornerback would be so good so fast. But Vasher started seven games as a rookie and played well enough that the Bears felt comfortable releasing veteran R.W. McQuarters after the season.
When Jerry Azumah hurt his hip in training camp, Vasher moved up and has started all but one game. It may just be a coincidence that his rise to prominence coincides with the Bears’, but then again it may not.
Being thrust into the spotlight didn’t sit well at first with Vasher, whose shy nature made it painful for him to sign autographs or go on talk shows. That’s changed with the national interviews but also by being a frequent guest on The Score (670-AM) for a weekly talk show with teammates Muhsin Muhammad and Charles Tillman.
“I just think the more I get a chance to do it and the more I get exposed to different things, the more my personality will come out,” Vasher says. “These are all just small steps in evolving as a person. It’s really bringing me out of my shell as just being a well-rounded guy.”
There is one problem with people always wanting to talk to you. Sometimes, you don’t want to talk to them. Vasher loves when strangers stop him on the street and tell him how they enjoy watching him play. He also hears from long-lost friends–some from as far back as 5th grade–who have reached him on his cell phone. He’s already had to change his number a couple of times this season.
“It’s crazy,” he says. “You always have to throw curve balls with changing your cell number and doing different things like that so you don’t get basically harassed. I’ve done that a couple of times. Once it starts to get overbearing you just have to change up and start all the way over.”
But Vasher has no intention of starting over in another NFL city. For him, the party is just getting started.
“There’s some real pressure that comes along with wearing this uniform and going out and playing with that kind of pride,” he says. “It’s something I take on every day, and I’m really happy with the situation of how things worked out. I couldn’t think of being in a better football city than Chicago.”
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BEING . . . NATHAN VASHER
Kanye West or 50 Cent?
“Wow. That one’s a tough one. I’m a big Kanye fan. I have to say Fifty. Fifty is my man. I got G-Units on right now.”
“Friday Night Lights” or “The Longest Yard” (the original)? ” ‘Friday Night Lights.’ Texas football at its finest. Roy Williams had two speaking parts in there.”
Texas or USC? “Texas. No-brainer.”
Steak or lobster? “I’m a steak man.”
White Sox or Cubs? “Sox. Sox won it.”
Bevo or Staley? “Tossup. Both of ’em are pretty tough. I’ll have to say Staley.”
Xbox 360 or PS2? “PS2.”
Golf or bowling? “Golf. It’s ugly, but I like to do it.”
Beyonce or Jessica Alba?
“Whoa, baby. Y’all getting tough. Beyonce’s taken. Jessica Alba.”
Darrell K Royal-Texas Stadium or Soldier Field? “Walter Payton played here. Soldier Field.”
108-yard field goal return or 45-yard interception return against Green Bay? “Green Bay and Brett Favre. By far.”
Pro-smoking ban or anti-smoking ban? “It doesn’t really bother me. I don’t smoke either way.”
A great dinner or a great movie? “A great movie.” (favorite movie of all-time? “Purple Rain.”)
