CHICAGO -- Chicago Bears left tackle Charles Leno's offseason vacation took an unexpected turn for the worse.
Leno said on WFLD-TV's Bears pregame show on Thursday night that he and a friend had to be rescued off the shores of Hawaii after venturing out too far in open water on a kayaking trip.
"I did some body surfing and went kayaking with my friend in Hawaii this offseason and it was bad," Leno said. "I had a bad experience. I got stuck out there in the water and was like, 'Nope, we got to go back.' We had to find someone to boat us back in. I'm a good swimmer but, nah, not that far out.
"I got into a panic mode and we were sinking a couple times. I was like, 'We got to get out of here.' But I kind of overreacted. My friend was like, 'Come on now, we can [swim back].' I told him I couldn't do it right now."
Leno's harrowing experience in Hawaii did not affect his performance in the preseason. Entering his third NFL season, Leno is firmly entrenched as the Bears' starting left tackle.