Mariotti Now Feuding with Brian Urlacher
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Urlacher could have explained this to the local media. We would have understood. Instead, he issued terse answers -- not just on injury questions, but all questions -- leading me and others to wonder why he was being such a jerk recently. This is why he went to Glazer, his friend, to cry on a national media guy's shoulder. - Jay Mariotti
Once upon a time ago, Jay was run out of Denver for declaring that John Elway was a "greedy and scared punk".
In an ironic twist of fate, perhaps Mariotti would be wise to stay in Denver, even though the World Series has been completed, in order to avoid Beardom's anger over this morning's latest rip against Brian Urlacher.
Indeed yesterday's pitiful performance by the Chicago Bears against the not so funny anymore Detroit Lions is rather indefensible. However, the back page pundit typically takes matters off the playing field and into the realm of personal cheap shots while ducking behind a vinyl Ben Wallace blow up doll for protection when the barbs are returned in favor.
The origin of the Mariotti - Urlacher feud is rather murky. Perhaps it evolved from a local television sports news broadcast from last season's training camp when #54 rather innocently answered "Jay Mariotti" to the question, "Name a non-football playing person you would like to tackle the most?" Or even more likely, the dwarf is jealous of Paris Hilton's brief fling with the linebacker. And yes, you read that last sentence correctly.
Sometime thereafter, Jay's hatred towards the linebacker intensified, whether mocking Urlacher's commericals, or Vitamin Water controversy. And then it got ugly as Mariotti crossed the line between alleged sports columnist and self-righteous tyrant by printing the player's private text messages to his son's mother during an extremely vicious custody battle.
It is not news to Bears followers that Urlacher has been concealing an injury throughout most of the season. In fact, this has been discussed at great length on message boards and talk shows. Considering the risks of playing professional football, it is little wonder why any player would choose not to fully disclose the nature and extent of any physical compromising weaknesses.
Seemingly, the pressure on Urlacher to reveal his injury was more troublesome than it was worth. And rather than divulge the scoop locally, he confided to FOX analyst Jay Glazer that his back was arthritic and that he didn't want his injury to become a distraction to his teammates. Equally interesting was the following confession regarding his tepidness towards the local media:
But I decided to open up about this because the media didn't like my answers and started saying I was doing a disservice to the fans. But the fans aren't the ones getting ticked about my answers. The fans aren't the ones who I'm trying to avoid. I just don't want to talk about an injury where there are no answers. But when the media throws the fan angle in, I'm talking. That's what I'm doing now.
However, Jay Mariotti doesn't give a damn about any of the potential consequences to Brian Urlacher's health as evident by the pundit's response to Urlacher's media statement concerning his lower back injury:
I was the one who said Urlacher was doing a disservice to Bears fans by issuing one-word answers. In retrospect, he and the Bears should have told the truth all along and avoided the latest circus.
Congratulations Mariotti for making a sports issue all about yourself once again. The real story here should not be a petty one-sided feud between a maniacal television bobble head wannabe and a football player but rather the extent to which the Bears attempted to conceal the injury. And if Urlacher's injury is finally disclosed (to the real surprise of nobody) then how many more injuries to other players have yet to be revealed?
God forbid Halas Hall wanting to protect its players. And after all, other than gamblers, who really benefits from injury reports?
Clearly this season's team has not played to the same caliber as the one that earned the right to play the Colts for the Super Bowl in Miami this past February. Too bad Mariotti cannot see past a rather dumb and insignificant feud to reveal the truth behind the unraveling of the Bears. Apparently to achieve that type of insight, one has to buy a copy of the Chicago Tribune and read the latest offerings of David Haugh.
