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Nahla changed you? When you have children, they come first, and you're always thinking about them. So when training gets hard or you're out there on the field or you're going through something, you can always look to them and find motivation to keep going or make it through something you're struggling through. Having kids has changed me for the better. What inspired you to create the Matt Forté Foundation? I've always been inspired by kids. Just being in the spotlight and being an athlete, so many young kids look up to you. [I want to use] this platform to inspire these kids and hopefully change their lives. There are not many positive role models in today's society— we're lacking that—and we all know that these kids look up to NFL players. It was easy for me to decide to set up a foundation where I can help children, because the next generation is always going to be coming up, and we need to continue to try to impact them and mentor them. We want to reach kids in high-risk areas who might not have the opportunity to go to college, to raise scholarship money for them to enable them to go for the next level, continue their education, and try to create some- thing of themselves. What message do you have for the students that your foundation here supports? The message is that no matter your background or what has happened in your life, if you want something, you have to work hard and go out and get it. My foundation is meant to help them not have to struggle so hard. Not everybody is able to pay for college or get student loans. So we don't want them to be behind the eight ball when they graduate. We can help them out; we can help them become not just high school graduates but college graduates. Matt, you're known as a sharp-dressed guy. How would you describe your personal style? I'd have to say it's second to none. It's like my football game. I'm pretty versatile out there on the field, and to have style you have to be pretty versatile. You can't just wear one type of clothing. Do you have any favorite designers? I don't really look at designer names; if it's some- thing I like, I point it out. I do like Tom Ford. Who else? Giuseppe [Zanotti] has nice shoes. Christian Louboutin. But I like H&M, too. What's something that people don't know about you? Nothing. I'm an open book. I like that. Something that people may not know about me is that I like to hunt and fish, that type of stuff, because I grew up in a region— That goes into my next question... You're a self-described country boy from Slidell, Louisiana. How have you enjoyed the city life in Chicago? I do enjoy the city life. We live in the suburbs—like, 40 minutes away from the city. But it is nice to be in the city and be able to go out to dinner after games and to be down there on the weekends. But the city life is a lot different from where I grew up in a small town. Being from there and through college, I hadn't been in the big city, but that change came when I got drafted, and I've adjusted pretty nicely. I like the city of Chicago. There's tons of stuff to do—museums, parks, restaurants. It's a very interesting and fun place to be a part of. What are some of your favorite places to go in Chicago? I like the Field Museum and the Shedd Aquarium—I take the kids there. And you can't go wrong with a res- taurant, really, in Chicago. Chicago Cut Steakhouse is really good. Where did you take us the last time we went there, when we played you in the game—Fogo de Chão? That was awesome. You still owe me dinner. I do, I know. I'll find a way to get it to you. It's got to be cheap, though. I don't have any money. I've got four kids, three dogs. We've got a lot going on over here, man. I don't want to hear it. No, I'm going to take you to McDonald's, man. That's about as good as I can get you. And you can only order off the value menu. Don't get all crazy and try to order a number 10 or something. At least Chick-fil-A, man. That's too expensive. [Laughs] All right, we have two more questions, and I think these are two of the bet- ter questions I have for you here. What's your favorite memory as a Bear so far? That's got to be the first game I got to play in as a rookie. I got the jitters and all that stuff—my first game starting as an NFL player. We played the Indianapolis Colts, and on top of that it was Sunday Night Football, which everybody was watching. It was a rematch of the Super Bowl from '06, with us versus the Colts and Peyton Manning. We were underdogs and we won that game, and I scored my first touchdown—a 50 -yard touch- down—in that game. Nobody was expecting a young rookie from Tulane to be able to come out and do that. That's amazing. And my last question: What is your ultimate goal as a player? To make the Hall of Fame, and to play consistently throughout my entire career. As you know, as soon as a running back turns 28, 29 years old, they start telling him he's old and run-down. So I just want to continue playing at the top level in the league and keep pushing [toward] that rushing mark that's been set by many other people. I think you're approaching the 10,000 -yard mark, so, you know, my first task is to push hard to get to that, and then I'll work from there. MA 100 michiganavemag.com