Bears legend Steve McMichael was diagnosed with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA)— which causes a staph infection — and received a blood transfusion, his family wrote in the latest update, according to Jarrett Payton, the son of former Chicago running back Walter Payton.
The statement was released one day after the family revealed that McMichael, a former defensive tackle who was recently announced as a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s Class of 2024, was “improving” after receiving antibiotics for a urinary tract infection.
“We are asking for your prayers to get Steve through this difficult time,” the family’s statement continued. “Steve, his family and close friends believe in the power of prayer.”
The family also announced Friday that McMichael, who has ALS, would undergo thoracentesis to drain fluid from his lungs.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) website, MRSA can be “difficult to treat because of resistance to some antibiotics.”
McMichael, 66, who the Chicago Sun-Times reported was originally admitted to Silver Cross Hospital in Illinois on Thursday with suspected pneumonia and a fever, was expected to get released “in the coming days,” but it’s unclear if the latest update — and diagnosis — has changed that timeline.
He was also admitted to the intensive care unit at Silver Cross Hospital last August with sepsis and pneumonia.
Just eight days ago, McMichael was surrounded by family, friends and other cameras capturing the moment as his name was announced as a member of the Class of 2024, which will be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in August.
McMichael was diagnosed with ALS in 2021, and he can’t move or speak on his own, according to the Sun-Times.
His wife, Misty, was in Los Angeles at the NFL Honors ceremony on behalf of McMichael, who will be joined by former Bears Devin Hester and Julius Peppers in the Class of 2024.
During his NFL career, McMichael helped Chicago win the only Super Bowl in franchise history in 1986, and across his 13 years with the franchise, he compiled 92.5 sacks and set a franchise record by appearing in 191 consecutive games, according to the Bears’ website.
