Renowned college basketball commentator, Dick Vitale, recently shared his opinion on Chicago Bears’ head coach Ben Johnson, and it’s far from his signature catchphrase, “Awesome, baby, with a capital A.”

Vitale, now 86, expressed his disapproval via X on Sunday, January 11, following the Bears’ dramatic comeback victory over the Green Bay Packers. “Total CLASSLESS attitude in winning by BEN JOHNSON coach of the ⁦@ChicagoBears⁩ in the fab comeback to beat the @packers⁩,” he stated. He emphasized that the focus should have been on the team’s remarkable comeback, rather than on Johnson’s “childish” post-game comments.

The controversy arose when Johnson, 39, was caught on video shouting “F*** the Packers! F*** them!” in the locker room after the Bears secured a 31-27 victory over Green Bay in the Wild Card round of the NFL Playoffs on Saturday, January 10.

In a video shared by the Bears on X, Johnson is also heard rallying his team, saying, “You go into the tournament coming off the two losses, you look up at halftime in this game and it’s 21-3. No f***ing panic. Built for pressure. That’s you guys!”

Meanwhile, the matchup between the Green Bay Packers and Chicago Bears presented a personal dilemma for Bears tight end Cole Kmet. With his sister Frankie dating Packers defensive lineman Lukas Van Ness, Kmet was unsure where her loyalties would lie during the Wild Card clash. “I don’t know, I don’t talk to her […]” he remarked.

As Johnson indicated, the Bears fell behind 21-3 at halftime and trailed 21-6 headed into the fourth quarter. Chicago then exploded for 25 points, winning the game on a 25-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Caleb Williams to D.J. Moore with 1:43 remaining.

The victory marked the Bears’ first playoff win against the Packers since 1941, and their first playoff win since 2011.

Johnson told the media after the game that the team was aware of Packers players trash talking his team during the week, which was then used as motivation by the Bears.

“There was probably a little bit more noise coming out of their building up north to start the week, which we heard loud and clear, players and coaches alike,” Johnson said. “This one meant something to us.”

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Johnson didn’t name names regarding which Packers players and coaches were responsible for the “noise.” However, Packers wide receiver Christian Watson and cornerback Keisean Nixon both said they wanted to face the Bears in the playoffs, while defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley told reporters the Wednesday before the game, “We are not going to be done, so I will see you guys next week.”

“It definitely got us riled up,” Bears safety Kevin Byard III added. “It got us amped up for the game…I didn’t think that we were going to be able to top some of the wins that we had earlier in this season, as far as the comebacks. But this one, this one was just the most special one.”

After the Bears’ win, fans noticed a seemingly cold postgame handshake between Johnson and Packers coach Matt LaFleur. Johnson was asked about his relationship with LaFleur, 46, during his press conference on Monday, January 12.

“This is a rivalry,” Johnson said. “The city of Chicago and Green Bay. It needs to be a rivalry.”

He continued, “There’s a rivalry that exists between these two teams. Something that I fully recognize and am a part of…I don’t like that team. [Chairman] George [McCaskey] and I have talked and we’re on the same page.”

Next up, Chicago will host the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday, January 18, for a spot in the NFC Championship Game.