Longtime Bears center Olin Kreutz was fired by a Chicago sports media company after allegedly assaulting a coworker.
Kreutz, 44, was a six-time Pro Bowl selection during a 14-year career with the Bears (1998-2010) and New Orleans Saints (2011).
“On Monday morning, an incident occurred in which Olin Kreutz physically attacked a CHGO employee,” CHGO Sports said in a statement posted to Twitter. “Effective immediately, Olin Kreutz is no longer with CHGO. Although we were shocked by the incident, we are thankful that the employee is okay. The health and safety of our employees is of the utmost importance and we will not tolerate any action that puts that in jeopardy.”
Kreutz responded on social media by sharing a quote attributed to boxer Mike Tyson: “Social media made y’all way too comfortable disrespecting people and not getting punched in the face for it.”
Neither side released specific details about the alleged incident.
A member of the Hall of Fame’s all-decade team for the 2000s, Kreutz started 187 of his 195 NFL games after being drafted in the third round by Chicago in 1998.
–Field Level Media