Every sports fan knows that sometimes, the road from glory at the stadium to the humdrum of ordinary life can be rocky. But for one former University of Illinois quarterback, now turned Chicago cop, this transition appears to include a detour through the aisle of a Meijer store—and not the one marked “career highlights.”
Meet Christopher Pazan, once a standout player at Brother Rice High School in Mount Greenwood who threw the pigskin for the University of Illinois Fighting Illini. His collegiate sports life saw him transitioning to sidelines as a coach before pivoting once more in a rather different direction by donning the navy and badge of the Chicago Police Department. However, if recent allegations hold water, it appears his latest move involved not just pivoting, but perhaps pocketing as well.
Pazan, currently 41, found himself in a spot of bother when he was picked up for allegedly attempting to liberate about $300 worth of baseball cards from their retail captivity in a suburban Meijer on South Western Avenue. According to Evergreen Park’s finest, a security guard, presumably skilled in the art of observing and reporting, caught Pazan’s alleged ruse on camera. Pazan was seen slipping the valuable card packs into a yard waste bag—a stealthy move that gives new meaning to the phrase “cleaning up on aisle five.”
Having paid for the bag but conspicuously not the cards, Pazan tried to exit the establishment sans proper fiscal exchange for his bounty. Alas, his plan’s flaw was uncovered, resulting in his arrest later that afternoon.
Since joining the police force in 2015, Pazan has held positions in crucial areas within the police department, including the Morgan Park District and central investigations division. His investigative duties, until recently, had him dealing with high-stakes cases like arson and vehicle theft; little did anyone know that soon he would be the subject of similar scrutiny. In light of these accusations, he’s been temporarily relieved of his police powers while the internal investigation gets underway—a clear example of life imitating the roles one investigates.
Neither Pazan nor his attorney could be reached for a comment, but his backstory adds a dimension of complexity to this unfolding drama. A seasoned player on the football field, Pazan’s prowess earned him All-American status in high school. After playing for the Illini, his transition to coaching, followed by law enforcement, appeared seamless at the time. In 2015, he shared with the Chicago Tribune his yearning for service and a desire to contribute “in a different capacity,” statements that now add a layer of irony to his current predicament.
Pazan’s stint with the Chicago Enforcers, a team made up of law enforcement officers competing in a police league, seemed to align him with society’s protectors. Yet his personal life tells a different story—one filled with financial woes that might have been bubbling under the surface. Despite a respectable Chicago PD salary of $111,804, not including overtime, Pazan’s economic stability seems to have been on thin ice. His marriage is unraveling in the courts, where his former lawyer seeks over $5,800 in unpaid fees. As his finances teeter, his attempt to refinance his home in Beverly hints at efforts to stave off further monetary woes.
Court records paint a broader picture of fiscal turbulence. Fifth Third Bank had previously tried to collect over $4,000 from him, a quest that went unfulfilled when they couldn’t track him down. And JPMorgan Chase had 2022’s docket booked with a lawsuit reclaimed by settlement the subsequent year. These financial shenanigans reveal a consistent pattern of economic strain, making the theft allegations perhaps unsurprising to some observers.
Chicago city hiring protocols aimed to prevent recruits under financial duress from joining the force, to minimize risk of corruption vulnerability. However, it appears that somewhere along the road, vigilance might have lapsed, allowing a potentially precarious situation to unfold.
Now facing a misdemeanor retail theft charge, Pazan’s post-football career takes an unexpected and shambolic turn, slated for judicial resolution come June 23 in Bridgeview. Though the path from athlete to police officer seemed a noble one, sermons on integrity and service might strike a discordant chord as he strides toward a courtroom instead of a stadium. As this former quarterback navigates these murky legal waters, one can’t help but wonder which play he’ll call next to redeem a tarnished legacy, lest his name becomes synonymous not with touchdowns, but take-a-ways of a different kind.
