Bears Disavow Brian Urlacher After Social Media Post on NBA Protests

The Chicago Bears organization distanced itself from Brian Urlacher after the Hall of Fame linebacker criticized NBA protests of the police shooting of Jacob Blake.

"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," Urlacher said in a since-deleted Instagram post, via Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. "NBA players boycott the playoffs because a dude reaching for a knife, wanted on a felony sexual assault warrant, was shot by police."

Florio characterized Urlacher's Favre comparison as "nonsensical" and pointed out that Blake, who reportedly had a knife in his car, was not reaching for it when he was shot by police.

The Bears' response read: "The social media posts in no way reflect the values or opinions of the Chicago Bears organization."

The Bears canceled practice Thursday with a statement committing to make a "real difference":

Urlacher had spent his entire 13-year NFL career with the Bears from 2000-12, earning eight Pro Bowl selections.

Since his retirement, he has criticized protests against racial injustice on Instagram, also showing his support for President Donald Trump. He visited the president in the Oval Office in March.