Brian Urlacher couldn’t reach a deal this summer with the Chicago Bears, or any other NFL team, in 2013, but he did land a television broadcasting job with Fox Sports 1. Urlacher turned down the small offer the Bears presented him, but no other team was willing to match or outspend Chicago for #54.
Now Brian Urlacher has turned down the opportunity to continue being an analyst on Fox Football Daily on Fox Sports 1; alongside Curt Menefee, Jay Glazer, Ronde Barber and others.
Urlacher resigned, with the reason given “to spend more time with his family.”
So the speculation begin now about the details of what happened. Urlacher’s statement released by FOX offers no insight. It’s just standard press release boiler plate:
“I have enjoyed the work, so this is a tough decision, but right now it’s best for me to dedicate my time to my family,” reads the statement attributed to Urlacher but obviously run through, if not actually constructed by a PR handler.
“I’ve enjoyed my time at FOX Sports and want to thank all of the people who helped create the opportunity for me, especially Eric Shanks, John Entz, Jay Glazer, Joel Klatt, Curt Menefee, Randy Moss, and the dedicated production and support personnel I worked with over the last year.”
Paul M. Banks owns, operates and sometimes writes The Sports Bank.net, which is partners with Fox Sports and Yahoo. Read his features stories in the Chicago Tribune RedEye edition. Listen to him on 1620 The Zone. Follow him on Twitter (@paulmbanks) His work has been featured in hundreds of media outlets including The Washington Post and ESPN2.