converge241 0 Report post Posted January 30, 2004 So much for Brian Urlacher’s wrestling career. The Bears’ Pro Bowl linebacker made a cameo appearance on Wednesday’s NWA-TNA pay-per-view event, throwing Jonny “The Worm” Fairplay out of the ring, but the team is banning him from such activities in the future. ''Contractually, he can't get himself in those types of situations,'' general manager Jerry Angelo told the Chicago Sun-Times. ''That's not something we're going to condone. We're not going to make a big deal out of it.” OUR VIEW Professional wrestling has many fans among athletes in all professional sports and the various wrestling organizations have always made an effort to involve big name sports stars. Guys like Kevin Greene, John Randle, William Perry, Lawrence Taylor, Mike Tyson, Pete Rose, Dennis Rodman, and Karl Malone, to name a few, have appeared in WCW or WWE rings over the years. Given the size of contracts and the number of players getting hurt off the field while playing basketball, riding motorcycles, skiing, or engaging in other potentially dangerous activities, teams aren’t going to let it slide as much as they used to. Urlacher and others will have to settle for watching “sports entertainment” rather than climbing through the ropes to be a part of it. fanball.com Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kkktookmybabyaway 0 Report post Posted January 31, 2004 Urlacher can wrestle as much as he wants once he retires. I don't blame the teams for wanting to protect their franchise players... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
The Ghost of bps21 0 Report post Posted January 31, 2004 It's just due to how big a star he is. The Titans that were involved with TNA week 4 were in more danger of getting hurt...one of them even took a chair shot. Urlacher got fake punched (which he no sold) ducked, clotheslined 2 people and through a 150 pound guy out of the ring. If it were someone who's jersey's didn't sell...it wouldn't have been news. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
EVIL~! alkeiper 0 Report post Posted January 31, 2004 Many contracts for professional athletes prohibit such activities. The recent controversy with Aaron Boone is an example. Many contracts prohibit a wide range of activities, including bowling and the like. Its all about teams protecting their investments. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
the max 0 Report post Posted January 31, 2004 Hopefully this doesn't end up like Steve McMichael all over again. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JangoFett4Hire 0 Report post Posted January 31, 2004 Hopefully this doesn't end up like Steve McMichael all over again. FOUR HORSEMAN BAYBEEEEEEEEEEEEEE! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Lando Griffin 0 Report post Posted February 1, 2004 From what I read/heard somewhere, his contract only prohibits him from doing things that put him in danger of injury. They apparently thought this was that. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites