Bears teammates prank rookies with $38,000 dinner bill

A pair of Chicago Bears rookies should be happy they don't play for the Dallas Cowboys.

Tuesday night, Bears defensive end Israel Idonije tweeted a photo of a restaurant bill for $38,091 at Mastro's Steakhouse in downtown Chicago, along with the message "Tonight's Gonna be a Good Night!!! #rookienight."

At first glance, the monstrous bill seemed to be another example of rookie hazing reminiscent of a 2010 dinner where Cowboys veterans stuck then first-year receiver Dez Bryant with a nearly $55,000 tab.

Idonije admitted this morning that the whole thing was a ruse, with the help of the restaurant.

"Alright! That Bill was NOT real! It's was a Hilarious joke on our 2 Rookies. #Priceless#GoodTimes #BearDown," he tweeted.

The rookies, presumed to be first and second round picks Shea McClellin and Alshon Jeffery, aren't exactly destitute with total 2012 compensation of $1.5 million and $825,000 respectively. But as anyone who watched last week's ESPN 30 for 30: "Broke" can attest, that money can disappear in a hurry.