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Off-field life troubles BriggsEx-Cat addresses paternity, wreck in expensive car
Chicago Tribune
Tucson, Arizona | Published: 09.02.2008
CHICAGO — Two days before training camp began, Lance Briggs recounted his last 17 tumultuous months that began with a declaration never to play for the Chicago Bears again, and came full circle after he signed a six-year, $36 million deal this off-season.
A mysterious car crash and an ugly paternity battle added to the turmoil the veteran linebacker and former Arizona Wildcat now hopes to avoid.
The sounds of hip-hop music thump inside the Leg Room. In the back of the Division Street nightclub, the bulky guy wearing the black flip-flops, silver shorts and gray Chicago Bears T-shirt stands out in the crowd. Not that Briggs needs an introduction, but curious observers figure he's "somebody" after he casually walks behind the bar unimpeded and pours himself a glass of pineapple juice.
As he plops on a sofa alongside his mother, Brenda (yes, he's at the club with his mom), Briggs soaks in the familiar scene.
This is the same vicinity he roamed in August 2007, when his name became synonymous with idiocy in the court of public opinion.
"I didn't really want that kind of attention, but I'll always be associated with a Lamborghini crash," said Briggs, who was charged with a misdemeanor for leaving the scene of a property-damage accident. "I'm an example to people of what not to do, especially when you're in a $400,000 car."
Now he wants to begin repairing his image, and the first step is admitting his mistakes.
"Did I put myself in a bad position? Absolutely. …
"A lot of people get into car accidents and come out of it in a wheelchair. Fortunately for me, I was able to walk away," he said.
Asked if alcohol was involved, Briggs carefully collects his thoughts.
"Instead of people wondering if I was OK or not, the main question was, 'Was he drinking?' Regardless of whether I was drinking or not, I've been in a car and I've sped before," he said. "I've done so in the daytime. It's a poor decision no matter what time of the day it is."
Child support and 49ers
Briggs proudly displays cell phone pictures of his 11-month-old daughter, then recounts the messy legal battle with the child's mother that became public in mid-December.
"I tell you this: There never has been a situation that myself, my mother, my sisters, my cousins, my friends have been more upset with," Briggs said. "That's just a situation you can't win.
"It's senseless, but I accept responsibility for it because I put myself in the situation. …"
Briggs smirks when asked how close he thought he was to playing for the 49ers.
"I thought I was already in the Bay," he said. "I thought it was a done deal."
Briggs, considered one of the top free agents available after last season, gushed about the possibility of playing close to his Sacramento, Calif., home. But it never materialized, particularly after the 49ers were found guilty of tampering with Briggs while he was still under contract with the Bears.
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