Brian Urlacker Retirement

While I am sad to see Urlacker announce his retirement, I am happy he did not go to another team for a year or two and just hang on for a another paycheck and love of the game. I wish his realization would have come before the ugliness between him and the organization.  He probably needed the split to realize an aging middle linebacker with injury concerns was not going to make what he felt he deserved. He deserves big money, he earned the right to demand big money for how he played the game. Teams have the right not to pay an aging middle linebacker who cannot stay on the field. I am not sure how situation could have been handled differently between the Bears and Urlacker, but both sides need to come together now and have some sort of formal retirement ceremony for the star. He has been the face of the franchise for nearly 13 seasons. Both sides have made millions for the other and it would be a shame for them not to reconcile. Urlacker should remain a part of the Bears family. He should not feel cut off from the organization due to the the issues from the off-season. Hopefully in the next few weeks their will be a ceremony, and both sides who have stated publicly no hard feelings, will finalize it in a formal press conference. 

Urlacker has been my favorite Bear for the past 13 seasons, his name alone is fun. I own a jersey and glad I can still sport it. He came into the league as a Bear and he is leaving as a Bear.  This fact shows how great of a player he was and what he meant to the organization.