No defending Urlacher comments
Yet on Wednesday, the day the NFL appropriately suspended Ricky Manning Jr. for his role in the Denny's ''Grand Slam Breakfast'' caper, Urlacher said something dumb about the league that eventually will immortalize him in Canton, Ohio. He ripped the NFL for the timing of the one-game ban, which will keep the valuable nickel back out of Sunday's showdown against Tom Brady and the Patriots. Considering Manning pleaded no contest to a felony assault charge and admitted to pushing 25-year-old Soroush Sabzi in the face as he tried to work on his laptop computer -- all while on probation for a 2002 assault -- he should feel lucky not to be wearing a longer number than his No. 24 inside a jail cell.
Which is pretty much the attitude in Lake Forest, where Bears management has condemned Manning's behavior, acknowledged embarrassment in a statement and said it expected a suspension. Only one employee was misguided enough to criticize the league and not ponder wider-ranging consequences if Halas Hall too often becomes Malice Hall.
That would be the face of the franchise, unfortunately.
''He's a fiery guy. He has a good time out there. We're all good friends with him on defense, and we're gonna miss the personality in the locker room because he's not going to be around this week. It stinks, man. Like I said, I don't know why they did it this week, but that's the NFL for you.''
Yep, that's the NFL, big guy -- a league that cares deeply about its image and is aggressively enforcing a personal-conduct policy. Urlacher may only be concerned about the impact of Manning's loss in a big game, but new commissioner Roger Goodell is thinking on a higher plane. He was quick to issue a five-game suspension to Tennessee's Albert Haynesworth, the head-stomping creature who came scarily close to kicking in Andre Gurode's eyeballs and ending his career. And he won't be involved in protective hanky-panky about steroids. Just ask San Diego star Shawne Merriman, among several NFL players banned four games. Goodell is emphasizing accountability, and if Manning wasn't smart enough to stay away from 3 a.m. trouble -- much less lay a hand on the face of a UCLA student working on a laptop computer -- then he deserves to sit.
The league isn't in business to serve the interests of the Bears and Urlacher. To their credit, Goodell and his people heard Manning plead his case at a New York meeting last month before performing their own probe into the episode, which happened at a Denny's restaurant near the UCLA campus. They should have been appalled at some of Manning's statements in September, when he said he plea-bargained only so he could focus on the season and not have to travel back and forth to California for legal proceedings. He seemed overly nonchalant, despite being sentenced to three years of probation, 100 hours of community service and one year of anger-management counseling. In addition, Sabzi accused Manning of using anti-Semitic and homophobic slurs -- vehemently denied by Manning and his attorney -- before a melee took place outside the restaurant, where Sabzi allegedly was punched and kicked into unconsciousness.
A commissioner who cares about justice doesn't care about timing. He doesn't care if the Bears are playing at New England, at home against Minnesota or at a neutral site on Jupiter. The league made the announcement when it was ready. And for those who think Manning should have appealed and played against the Patriots, I'm glad he didn't. It would have prolonged the process, brought more attention to his plight and further distracted the Bears.
More importantly, it prioritizes a disciplinary statement over winning the stupid football game, a significant message for Halas Hall to send. Officially, Manning made the decision not to appeal. But general manager Jerry Angelo and coach Lovie Smith surely influenced the call.
They'll move on to their toughest test to date, with a run defense that hasn't fared well since Mike Brown's injury and will miss Manning's role in run support. In the air, Brady will have one less defensive back to worry about. There's a good chance the Bears will lose to a contender from the superior conference, maybe by two touchdowns.
If so, don't blame the NFL.
Blame Manning, who belongs on any Turkeys of the Year ballot. It's a crowded list that features Zinedine Zidane and his head-butt, Floyd Landis and his denials, the minor-league baseball manager who threw a five-minute tirade, the Detroit Lions assistant coach who drove naked through a fast-food lane, Terrell Owens, Terrell Owens' 911-happy publicist, Jason Grimsley and his HGH, a second-string college punter charged with stabbing the starting punter and -- don't forget -- an Ozzie Guillen meltdown that might be funny now if it wasn't so homophobic.
The Bears have the respect of Brady and Bill Belichick. But the Bears will gain the ultimate respect if they forget about Manning and play a great game. To do so, their best and most influential player has to drop his grudge and move on.
That's the NFL for you, Brian Urlacher.
Jay Mariotti is a regular on ''Around the Horn'' at 4 p.m. weekdays on ESPN. Send e-mail to inbox@suntimes.com with name, hometown and daytime phone number. Letters run Sunday.