CHICAGO — Bears left tackle Charles Leno was in a celebratory mood Sunday afternoon.
Minutes after the Bears clinched their first NFC North title since 2010 with a 24-17 victory over the Green Bay Packers, Leno got on one knee at midfield and proposed to his girlfriend, Jennifer Roth, who had been escorted onto the field.
“It was coming soon, but once I found out we could clinch this week, and I was like, ‘I have to speed things up. I have to speed up the process.’ I kind of planned it earlier in the week,” Leno said.
Leno and Jennifer, who said yes, were quickly surrounded and congratulated by several Bears teammates. Part of the proposal was also shown live on the Soldier Field Jumbotron.
SHE SAID YES!
Congrats to @charleslenojr72 & @jennifermroth_! pic.twitter.com/muMxduITIW
— Chicago Bears (@ChicagoBears) December 16, 2018
“She was surprised,” Leno said. “She was shaking, she was crying. Right now, I guarantee she is bawling. That’s all I wanted to do.”
Leno declined to reveal where he hid the wedding ring during the game.
“I had it my sock … I’m just kidding,” Leno smirked. “I can’t say that. It was in really safe place.”
Bears coach Matt Nagy said Leno sought him out ahead of time and asked permission to pop the question on the field.
“I knew that was coming,” Nagy said with a smile.
Originally a seventh-round pick out of Boise State, Leno has been entrenched as Chicago’s starting left tackle since the 2015 season. Leno signed a four-year contract extension last summer that contained $18 million in guaranteed money.