S80 FLC EXPERIENCED CLEARANCE CONFUSION AND MAY HAVE COMMITED A RWY INCURSION DURING THEIR TAXI OUT TO RWY 9R. THEY HAD BEEN CLRED TO RWY 9R AND TOLD TO FOLLOW THE PRECEDING ACFT TO RWY 9R.

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WE WERE GIVEN A TAXI CLRNC TO TAXI TO RWY 9R; FOLLOW THE MD80 ON OUR L. AT FIRST THERE WAS CONFUSION AS TO WHICH MD80; THIS WAS RESOLVED WITH GND CTL. OUR TAXI FOLLOWING THE OTHER ACFT INCLUDED TURNING L ON A TXWY THEN R ON TXWY M5 AND TURNING R AGAIN ON TXWY M TO RWY 9R. THIS RTE REQUIRED XING RWY 14R ON TXWY M. RWY 14R WAS BEING USED FOR LNDGS WITH HOLD SHORT OF RWY 9R CLRNCS. WE WERE NEVER GIVEN INSTRUCTIONS TO CHANGE TO TWR FREQ NOR DID WE HEAR OTHER ACFT RECEIVE THAT INSTRUCTION. NO HOLD SHORT OF RWY 14R CLRNC WAS EVER GIVEN TO OUR ACFT. UPON FINALLY CONTACTING TWR ON OUR OWN WHEN #3 FOR TKOF THE TWR CTLR IMPLIED THAT WE HAD CROSSED RWY 14R DURING TAXI WITHOUT CLRNC TO DO SO. WE BELIEVE OUR CLRNC TO TAXI BEHIND THE OTHER ACFT TO RWY 9R WAS OUR CLRNC TO CROSS RWY 14R. NO ACFT WERE ON SHORT FINAL; ROLLING OUT OR XING RWY 14R AT OTHER TXWYS WHEN WE CROSSED RWY 14R. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 364126: ON TXWY M WE CAME TO RWY 14R. WE DISCUSSED IN THE COCKPIT IF WE WERE CLRED TO CROSS. GND FREQ WAS EXTREMELY CONGESTED. AFTER REVIEWING OUR STATED CLRNC; TO FOLLOW ACFT TO RWY 9R; KNOWING ACFT ON RWY 14R WERE BEING GIVEN LAND HOLD SHORT OF RWY 9R ON RWY 14R; AND NOT HEARING ANY OTHER ACFT IN FRONT OF US BEING ISSUED CLRNC TO CROSS; WE CHKED RWY 14R; THERE WAS NO ACFT ON THE RWY OR ON SHORT FINAL SO WE HURRIED ACROSS THE RWY. IT WAS ODD NOT TO BE TOLD BY ORD GND TO MONITOR TWR FREQ AT #1; TWR INFORMED US THAT WE WERE SUPPOSED TO HOLD SHORT OF RWY 14R. DUE TO THE FREQ CONGESTION I SIMPLY STATED THAT WE WERE CLRED TO FOLLOW THE S80 ON OUR L TO RWY 9R AND DID NOT DISCUSS THE ISSUE ANY FURTHER.