CANTON, Ohio — Chicago Bears wide receiver Tyler Scott is making the most of his trip to Ohio this week.
On Thursday, Scott helped implement the NFL’s new kickoff rules in the Pro Football Hall of Fame Game, making the Bears’ first two returns for a total of 40 yards in the 21-17, rain-shortened win over the Houston Texans.
Then he planned to drive 240 miles to Cincinnati to graduate Friday.
Scott left college after three seasons to enter the draft, and the Bears selected him in the fourth round in 2023. He didn’t pursue school during his rookie season, in which he had 17 catches for 168 yards in 17 games.
But when the offseason hit, he approached his academic adviser about what he needed to do to graduate with a degree in interdisciplinary studies.
“It was super important,” Scott said. “Now, at this stage, football has blessed me — financially, just getting to know different people. But this was more of a thing I did for my future family.
“I feel like now, having kids, it sets the standard in the household. I was able to play in the NFL and also get my degree. Same with Mom. She was able to get her degree and do what she wants to do.”
Scott’s adviser put him on a plan similar to the one New York Jets cornerback and fellow Cincinnati alumnus Sauce Gardner used a year earlier. Scott said he was used to online learning because, as a student affected by COVID-19, all of his college classes had been remote.
“Once the season was over, it kind of was like, ‘I’ll see you in four-plus months,’” Scott said. “I was like, ‘Wow.’ I’ve never had that much time to myself. Especially in college, you maybe get two weeks max.
“Looking at how much free time I had, I was like, well, I’ve got time to travel. But even in my downtime, I could knock out a lot of these assignments.”
Scott, who is from Ohio, had family in attendance Thursday. He said he planned to drive to Columbus, where he would get a haircut, then continue on to Cincinnati.
He has to be in Lake Forest for practice Saturday, but getting to walk across the stage was important to him. He didn’t get to do it in high school because of COVID-19.
“I never got that experience to be able to share it with the people I grew up with and things of that nature,” Scott said. “So I wanted to walk the stage, not just for myself but even for my parents, too, so they could experience that.”
