Bears CB Nahshon Wright pays tribute to late coach after interception

MINNEAPOLIS — John Beam wanted to get his steps in. That was the premise for taking one of his many college protégés, Bears cornerback Nahshon Wright, up and down the Magnificent Mile for hours last month.

The real reason, of course, was for teacher and pupil to catch up the night before the Bears hosted the Saints.

Beam, who coached Wright at Laney College in Oakland, California, came to Chicago last month to watch him face off against his brother Rezjohn, who plays for the Saints.

‘‘We rarely talked about football,’’ Wright said Sunday. ‘‘We just talked about life and my plans and what I had going on.’’

They talked Wednesday night, too, this time on the phone. Beam joked with Wright to keep reminding people that he was the one who switched him from wide receiver to cornerback in junior college.

On Thursday, Beam was shot on campus. He died the next day.

On Sunday, Wright paid tribute to him the best way he knew how. With 42 seconds left in the first half, Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy threw into the end zone looking for wide receiver Jordan Addison, only for the 6-4 Wright to jump high and intercept the pass. Wright and his teammates ran a few steps outside the end zone, gathered together and took a knee to pray. When he reached the sideline, an emotional Wright hugged defensive backs coach Al Harris for almost 30 seconds.

‘‘He told me he was proud of me,’’ Wright said. ‘‘He knew who that ball was for.’’

Wright learned about the shooting after practice Thursday and said Harris called him hourly Thursday and Friday to check in on him.

‘‘I was down, super-down,’’ Wright said. ‘‘I still am.’’

Safety Kevin Byard, who knew Wright was ‘‘battling’’ the last few days, couldn’t help but be amazed by the interception.

‘‘Full extension,’’ Byard said. ‘‘He went up there and made a play. He wasn’t slated to be a starter this year. To come in and play as well as he has, that’s the beauty of this business.’’

Playing well in Minnesota was important to Wright, given that he was stuck on the Vikings’ practice squad all last season before they cut him in April. Head coach Ben Johnson made him an honorary captain for the game.

‘‘I know it means something to him, going against his former team and how it went down,’’ Johnson said.

‘Jets’ quiet

Safety Jaquan Brisker never has hesitated to trash-talk anyone, including Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson, who had five catches for 61 yards. Brisker said he didn’t hear much from Jefferson at U.S. Bank Stadium.

‘‘[He was] super-quiet,’’ Brisker said. ‘‘It’s all love . . . [but] we didn’t hear too many words. Obviously, he was frustrated because he wasn’t getting the ball.’’

Jefferson, who Brisker claims once cried because of his trash talk, was targeted nine times. The Vikings scored two touchdowns, one of them on a 24-yard drive.

‘‘The frustrations are there,’’ Jefferson said. ‘‘It happens. It’s part of football. It’s part of growing and figuring things out.’’

Notes

Brisker and cornerback Tyrique Stevenson collided while trying to intercept a pass by McCarthy in the third quarter. Stevenson returned to play only one snap because of injuries to his hip and calf.

• Byard intercepted his fifth pass of the season, the most in the NFL.

• In an in-game interview, former Vikings wide receiver Cris Carter took a friendly shot at the Bears.

‘‘I love the Bears,’’ he said. ‘‘I wouldn’t be in the Hall of Fame without the Bears.’’