Yahoo News Bears distance themselves from Brian Urlacher's Instagram post criticizing Jacob Blake protests
A pair of Instagram posts — one posted by Brian Urlacher, the other merely “Liked” — on the shooting of Jacob Blake caused the Chicago Bears to distance themselves from their Hall of Famer on Thursday.
In one post, Urlacher posted a plain statement to his Instagram story unfavorably comparing the NBA walkouts in protest against Blake’s shooting to a performance from his old rival Brett Favre after the death of his father.
The text of the post:
Brett Favre played the MNF 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.
According to Wisconsin Attorney general Josh Kaul, investigators found a knife in the footwell of Blake’s vehicle, which Blake confirmed he was in possession of. Last month, Blake was charged with third-degree sexual assault, according to online court records.
The second post in question was merely liked by Urlacher. It was a demand to free Kyle Rittenhouse, the 17-year-old charged with murder after allegedly shooting three protesters, killing two, in Kenosha, Wisconsin, the site of Blake’s shooting.
Urlacher what are you doing bro... 🤦 pic.twitter.com/NqVCx3jWGY
— Austin F (@unclemike21) August 27, 2020
In response to those posts, the Bears released the following statement to Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio:
“The social media posts in no way reflect the values or opinions of the Chicago Bears organization,” the team said in a statement issued on Thursday night.
Urlacher’s social media activity could also have MLB repercussions, as he is reportedly part of a group spearheaded by Alex Rodriguez trying to buy the New York Mets.
In contrast to Urlacher’s expressed viewpoints, the Bears had released a statement earlier in the day saying they were pausing football activities and calling for action in the wake of Blake’s shooting.
Statement from Chicago Bears players: pic.twitter.com/pEL2ywtMD1
— Chicago Bears (@ChicagoBears) August 27, 2020
Funnily enough, a similar story played out in college football the same day, with Notre Dame disavowing former coach Lou Holtz for questioning Joe Biden’s Catholic faith at the Republican National Convention.
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