Andy Richter Says Mike Ditka Once Ruined a Rental Car with a Lit Cigar

Comedian Andy Richter offered up an amusing anecdote about Mike Ditka late Wednesday night, claiming the former Chicago Bears head coach once accidentally destroyed the interior of a car with a lit cigar.

Richter told his story in a series of tweets, spotted by Deadspin’s Kevin Draper. The comedian and Conan staple tweeted that he was once on set with Ditka for a Peak antifreeze commercial shoot in Chicago when the coach mistook a car for an ashtray: 

So now you know that Ditka, in the late '80s, regarded the world at large as his personal wastebasket. Clearly, the coach has since streamlined his public appearances to cut down on accidental, cigar-related arson.

In fairness to Ditka, he was doing a lot of commercials around the time of Richter’s story. A 1989 Chicago Tribune article by Janet Key claims the coach was juggling nearly 10 endorsement deals during his top years with the Bears.

Obviously, Ditka didn’t exactly have time to worry about the burning objects in his possession and where they should be disposed; he probably had a handful of other commercials and cigars to take care of that day.

So if you ever have to give the coach a ride, make sure he knows to put his cigar out on the dashboard before leaving it on the seat. It’s the least he can do, really.

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