Albuquerque Journal

A Bad Father? Urlacher Fights Back
By David Haugh, Chicago Tribune

CHICAGO — God punished Brian Urlacher for being a bad father by giving him a bad back.
    Nine NFL seasons of taking on fullbacks and offensive linemen didn't do it. The big pulling guard in the sky did.
    Sound a little outlandish? Consider the source.
    Tyna Robertson espoused it to Urlacher in a text message during a recent rant to the father of their son, 3-year-old Kennedy. The same Tyna Robertson who was ordered last year by a judge to pay dancer Michael Flatley $11 million for bringing a false rape charge.
    "Stuff like that just shows how . . . unreasonable she is," Urlacher said in an exclusive interview with the Chicago Tribune.
    Robertson's role resurfaced again after she felt compelled to go public with a private matter involving Urlacher's parenting skills.
    Robertson complained in a report published in the Chicago Sun-Times that Urlacher was creating gender confusion in the boy because he allowed his toenails to be painted navy blue and put pink Cinderella pull-up diapers on him.
    There is a price of being famous for NFL players such as Urlacher.
    But this seemed more like price-gouging.
    This "news" doesn't suggest Urlacher is a bad dad. It proves he is a famous dad.
    Urlacher disputed neither allegation Robertson made in an out-of-court interview with a reporter. Chuckling, he admitted 3-year-old daughter Riley (six weeks older than Kennedy) and 8-year-old Pamela painted their half-brother's toenails during visits last summer. Twice.
    As for the pink pull-up, Urlacher explained that Kennedy had run out, so he grabbed one of Riley's in a diaper bag to compensate. Once.
    That was the basis Robertson used in Will County Court to ask a judge to prevent Urlacher from seeing his son until the Bears middle linebacker promises to alter the "effeminate antics."
    "She says to me, 'If he turns out to be gay, it's your fault,"' Urlacher said. "I told her, 'I don't care if he's gay. I'll love him either way."'
    The parents were back in court because Urlacher filed an emergency motion after he claimed Robertson had missed 12 visits since Aug. 28.
    A court order last January allows Urlacher to have his son from 2 p.m. Monday until 8 p.m. Tuesday each week.
    The article, originally reported by the Joliet Herald-News, was accompanied by a photo of the boy's painted toenails and was a hit on the Sun-Times' Web site. Mission accomplished.
    "I'm tired of every little thing that she thinks is wrong, she goes to the newspaper," Urlacher said. "This is a huge reason for why I act the way I do toward the media. The media can decipher what's BS and what's not. In my mind, there should be some good judgment in what they're writing. ... Where is the line?"
    It's a fair question.
    Urlacher accepts that he made a poor decision by fathering a child out of wedlock and realizes the prurient interest in his life off the field comes with being the franchise's most popular player since the '85 Bears.
    But this isn't a case of Urlacher inviting tabloid-like scrutiny, as he did in 2003, when he invited Paris Hilton to a "Monday Night Football" game at Soldier Field. This wasn't criticizing Urlacher for wanting a new contract months after having back surgery; that was fair game.
    This was Urlacher receiving a cheap shot in a custody dispute, the legal equivalent of spearing.
    "I understand anything said about me as a player, (but) this isn't anybody's business. It's a personal issue, I feel," Urlacher said, grimacing. "She made it public, which is why I'm speaking out now. I'm tired of her telling people everything she thinks I do bad for my son, so I'm just trying to get (out) my side of the story."
    You wonder why Urlacher uses cliches in postgame interviews like he is endorsing them.
    You wonder why he has more pent-up aggression for the media than for the Vikings.
    This reminded us all maybe you really shouldn't wonder.Editor's note: Brian Urlacher of Lovington, is an ex-Lobo and Bears All-Pro linebacker. This column ran in Saturday's Chicago Tribune