Former Chicago Bears Champion Michael Richardson Arrested On Murder Charge

Former Chicago Bears football player and champion Michael Richardson has been arrested on a murder charge in Phoenix. 

Fifty-nine-year-old Richardson used to be an All-Pro cornerback for the Chicago Bears, but now, he may be looking at time in prison. On Wednesday, police arrested Richardson on a second-degree murder charged in connection to the fatal shooting of 47-year-old Ronald Like, the New York Post reports. 

Police officers found Like at an intersection and rushed him to the hospital, where he later died from a gunshot wound. The Arizona Republic reports police began investigating the incident as a homicide. The outlet reports that Richardson also had a felony warrant out for his arrest. 

The man is currently being held without bond on charges of murder, possession of a weapon by a prohibited person, and possession of a dangerous drug for sale. He is set to appear in court on January 6. 

Richardson is originally from Compton, California; he became a starting cornerback for the Bears in 1985 and was named a second-team All-Pro in 1986. He went to Arizona State University and was drafted by the Bears in 1983. 

The murder charge isn’t the only crime connected to Richardson. He had a run-in with the police twice this year for alleged drug possession and was arrested in Maricopa Country in 2018. His criminal history also includes being convicted for selling narcotics, his 21st conviction for drug-related charges at the time. It was his fifth felony in 16 years, ESPN reported. 

His first incident with drug crimes happened in 1989, three years after his last season in the NFL. He was found guilty of two felony drug counts and was sentenced to four years in prison. Richardson’s deep dependence on drugs” started when he was 13, according to his public defender.