The Chicago Bears have distanced themselves from Hall of Famer Brian Urlacher after his Instagram post.
Urlacher’s Thoughts
Via Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk, Urlacher, responded to the NBA protests of the shooting of Jacob Blake. Urlacher made a comparison to Brett Favre when he lost his father.
“Brett Favre played the MNF (Monday Night Football) game the day his dad died, threw 4 TDs in the first half, and was a legend for playing in the face of adversity. NBA players boycott the playoffs because a dude reaching for a knife wanted on a felony sexual assault warrant was shot by police.”
The statement can be seen as insensitive to the current climate of social injustice towards black people in America. The highlighting of a criminal past suggests that the shooting was justified.
Urlacher implied that NBA games should resume in light of the recent shooting.
The Bears Respond
Via Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk, The Bears said that “The social media posts in no way reflect the values or opinions of the Chicago Bears organization,” in a statement issued on Thursday night.
The Bears released a statement on how they are pausing their football activities to allow themselves to use their voices.
Urlacher played with the Bears for all 13 years of his career. Along the way, he won the Associated Press NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2000. Also, he won the Associated Press NFL Defensive Player of the Year in 2005. He made the Pro Bowl eight times and helped the Bears to Super Bowl XLI, where they lost to the Colts.
Urlacher has shown his support for Donald Trump in the past through various social media posts.
Hopefully, he and the Bears can establish a healthy relationship again.
