The Bears cut defensive lineman Jeremiah Ratliff on Thursday, a day after the 34-year-old veteran was involved in multiple heated exchanges at Halas Hall.
Releasing Ratliff came as a surprise in a football context. Coaches regarded him as one of the team's best defensive linemen, if not the best. But after what multiple sources described as a bizarre and emotionally charged chain of events Wednesday at Halas Hall, the Bears thought it best they cut ties with the 10th-year veteran.
"We felt moving forward without Jeremiah was in the best interest of our team," general manager Ryan Pace said in a statement the team released. "We appreciate his contributions and wish him well."
Wednesday's fireworks began in Lake Forest when Bears officials judged that Ratliff arrived at team headquarters not in a condition to work, according to sources. When the team sent Ratliff home from the facility, an argument ensued.
Ratliff, according to one source, later returned to Halas Hall twice more and had another intense vocal altercation with Pace outside the facility before being sent home again.
Lake Forest police eventually were summoned as a safety measure the team took after the incident with Ratliff had died down. Three squad cars were seen in the team parking lot not long after the Bears finished their final practice of the week.
A police spokesman said that he did not yet have a police report regarding the incident but classified it as a "minor call." He deferred further comment to the Bears.
Wednesday's episode was not Ratliff's first run-in with team officials.
On Dec. 26, Ratliff caused a disturbance at what turned out to be coach Marc Trestman's final practice and team personnel escorted him out of the facility. He did start the season finale in Minnesota that Sunday.
The NFL suspended Ratliff for the first three games of this season for violating the league's substance-abuse policy. That stemmed from his guilty plea in April to a DWI charge stemming from a crash in January 2013.
As a veteran respected for his tenacity, passion and work ethic, Ratliff was often a tone-setter for the Bears over the last two years. But his explosive temper also was known to coaches and teammates.
An eight-season stint with the Cowboys came to a similarly unfriendly end.
Ratliff played only six games with the Cowboys in 2012 before suffering a serious groin injury that later required surgery.
Late in that season, Ratliff was involved in a heated locker room altercation with Cowboys owner Jerry Jones that reportedly required teammates to intervene. Jones, reports said, had been urging Ratliff to come back from his injury and he took exception.
Ratliff never played another game for the Cowboys but was not released until October 2013.
Now, Ratliff's time in Chicago also has come to a sudden end.
The Bears, it appears, made a decision Thursday to prioritize their growing team chemistry and a culture that has been overwhelmingly positive under Pace and coach John Fox, unwilling to tolerate what they deemed unacceptable behavior.
Attempts to reach Ratliff for comment were unsuccessful. Ratliff's agent, Mark Slough, declined to comment.
To replace Ratliff, the Bears signed former Steelers and Jaguars defensive lineman Ziggy Hood. Hood, a first-round pick in 2009, played in all 16 games in each of his first six NFL seasons.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/sport...-jeremiah-ratliff-cut-spt-20151022-story.html
Releasing Ratliff came as a surprise in a football context. Coaches regarded him as one of the team's best defensive linemen, if not the best. But after what multiple sources described as a bizarre and emotionally charged chain of events Wednesday at Halas Hall, the Bears thought it best they cut ties with the 10th-year veteran.
"We felt moving forward without Jeremiah was in the best interest of our team," general manager Ryan Pace said in a statement the team released. "We appreciate his contributions and wish him well."
Wednesday's fireworks began in Lake Forest when Bears officials judged that Ratliff arrived at team headquarters not in a condition to work, according to sources. When the team sent Ratliff home from the facility, an argument ensued.
Ratliff, according to one source, later returned to Halas Hall twice more and had another intense vocal altercation with Pace outside the facility before being sent home again.
Lake Forest police eventually were summoned as a safety measure the team took after the incident with Ratliff had died down. Three squad cars were seen in the team parking lot not long after the Bears finished their final practice of the week.
A police spokesman said that he did not yet have a police report regarding the incident but classified it as a "minor call." He deferred further comment to the Bears.
Wednesday's episode was not Ratliff's first run-in with team officials.
On Dec. 26, Ratliff caused a disturbance at what turned out to be coach Marc Trestman's final practice and team personnel escorted him out of the facility. He did start the season finale in Minnesota that Sunday.
The NFL suspended Ratliff for the first three games of this season for violating the league's substance-abuse policy. That stemmed from his guilty plea in April to a DWI charge stemming from a crash in January 2013.
As a veteran respected for his tenacity, passion and work ethic, Ratliff was often a tone-setter for the Bears over the last two years. But his explosive temper also was known to coaches and teammates.
An eight-season stint with the Cowboys came to a similarly unfriendly end.
Ratliff played only six games with the Cowboys in 2012 before suffering a serious groin injury that later required surgery.
Late in that season, Ratliff was involved in a heated locker room altercation with Cowboys owner Jerry Jones that reportedly required teammates to intervene. Jones, reports said, had been urging Ratliff to come back from his injury and he took exception.
Ratliff never played another game for the Cowboys but was not released until October 2013.
Now, Ratliff's time in Chicago also has come to a sudden end.
The Bears, it appears, made a decision Thursday to prioritize their growing team chemistry and a culture that has been overwhelmingly positive under Pace and coach John Fox, unwilling to tolerate what they deemed unacceptable behavior.
Attempts to reach Ratliff for comment were unsuccessful. Ratliff's agent, Mark Slough, declined to comment.
To replace Ratliff, the Bears signed former Steelers and Jaguars defensive lineman Ziggy Hood. Hood, a first-round pick in 2009, played in all 16 games in each of his first six NFL seasons.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/sport...-jeremiah-ratliff-cut-spt-20151022-story.html
