New Bears QB Justin Fields, Blago Are Both Nuts — For Pistachios

CHICAGO — On NFL draft night, former Gov. Rod Blagojevich had an inkling the Bears would trade up to pick up Ohio State's top-rated quarterback, Justin Fields.

"You've got to know something about football to understand. And frankly, I know something about football," Blagojevich said.

"I was very certain the Bears would pick Fields. He's a winning quarterback who is very skilled, athletic, an accurate passer and exactly what the Bears need on the field. And for political reasons, the Bears' coach and [general manager] have their asses on the line after the mistake they made" for previously drafting Mitch Trubisky with the No. 2 pick in 2017 over future Super Bowl MVP Patrick Mahomes.

I didn't reach out to Blagojevich for his spot-on NFL analysis. I called because, as things turn out, the Bears' new quarterback and Illinois' ex-con former governor have some things in common.

They're both former reality TV stars.

Fields, a native of Kennesaw, Georgia, starred in Peter Berg's excellent documentary series, "QB1: Beyond The Lights."

Blagojevich, a die-hard Bears fan, appeared in "The Apprentice" with Donald Trump, who as president later commuted the former governor's federal prison sentence on corruption charges.

Plus, Blago and Fields are both nuts — for pistachios, that is.

Specifically, Wonderful Pistachios — the California-based brand of protein-packed snacks that may reduce the risk of heart disease.*

Hours before the Bears traded up to select Fields at No. 11 in the first round, the Ohio State star tweeted that his "go-to snack" powered with 6 grams of plant protein per serving was coming with him on his pro-football journey no matter which team picked him.

"Big things ahead, but whatever the future holds, I’m bringing Wonderful Pistachios No Shells @WonderfulNuts on this journey. Powered with 6 grams of #PlantProtein per serving, they’re my go-to snack. #WonderfulPistachiosPartner," Fields wrote.

In 2010, a couple of years after the feds caught Blagojevich on wiretap referring to the Senate seat vacated by Barack Obama as "this thing, and it's f------ golden," the Chicago Democrat starred in a commercial for the California-based brand of nuts that boast more potassium in a 2-ounce serving than a banana.

Maybe you remember the TV spot. Someone slides a briefcase to Blagojevich. Dressed in all black with lime-green tie, Blago whistles when he pops it open to find it overflowing with protein-packed nuts. He shells a pistachio and pops it in his mouth, as a narrator says, "Rod Blagojevich does it innocently."

Now, Fields was unavailable for comment on his role as a Wonderful Pistachios partner.

But Blago said the Bears' next great hope at quarterback's endorsement of the naturally cholesterol-free snack might be an early sign Fields has great decision-making instincts.

"He's pitching a great product," Blagojevich said. "Those pistachios are f'n' golden."

Like beating the Packers.

* This column is not an endorsement of any Big Pistachio companies.

Mark Konkol, recipient of the 2011 Pulitzer Prize for local reporting, wrote and produced the Peabody Award-winning series, "Time: The Kalief Browder Story." He was a producer, writer and narrator for the "Chicagoland" docu-series on CNN, and a consulting producer on the Showtime documentary, "16 Shots."

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