Last month, I enjoyed an evening of Magic at The Hand and The Eye with my pal Chuck. About halfway through the night, we recognized Israel Idonije among the other patrons.
Born in Nigeria, Idonije was drafted by Montreal of the Canadian Football League. He signed with the Cleveland Browns as a free agent instead. He never played for the Browns though. He later signed with the Chicago Bears, for whom he played nine seasons. He then played a season with the Detroit Lions. After that, he signed back with the Bears, but didn't make the team. He also signed with the New York Giants, but again did not make the team. That would be it for his playing career.
Since then, Idonije has been involved with various charitable causes, a comic book line, a book series and more. He is very active in the Chicago area.
I resisted the urge to bug him during the evening, but we happened to walk out together. At that point, I approached him and asked for a picture. He was very kind, chatting with us for a moment. I did thank him for an interview I did with him years ago at a comic con to promote his comic book.
Israel Idonije and me in Chicago, IL-September 2026.
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