Bears Urlacher will retire; Crabtree hurt
Brian Urlacher wasn’t sure how dominant he could be any longer, so he’s calling it a career after 13 seasons with the Chicago Bears. And what a career it was: eight Pro Bowl seasons; Defensive Player of the Year in 2005; A trip to the Super Bowl as 2006 NFC champion.
And now, it’s over. The eight-time Pro Bowler announced his retirement through social media accounts Wednesday. Urlacher was the face of the Bears, and he ranks among the best middle linebackers to suit up for a franchise with an impressive list that includes Hall of Famers Bill George, Dick Butkus and Mike Singletary.
Crabtree tears Achilles: The San Francisco 49ers suddenly have a huge void in their receiving corps as they chase another Super Bowl berth: Michael Crabtree is sidelined after surgery on his right Achilles tendon.
San Francisco’s leading wide receiver underwent surgery Wednesday, though the team is optimistic he will return at some point in 2013. Crabtree was operated on at Stanford by Dr. Tim McAdams one day after suffering the injury during 7-on-7 drills in an organized team activity.
“Michael Crabtree underwent surgery to repair his Achilles tendon that he tore yesterday,” coach Jim Harbaugh said. “Surgery was successful and we do not anticipate it will be season-ending for Michael. It was completely torn, and completely repaired.”
Harbaugh would not speculate when Crabtree might return to play.
Geno Smith joins up with Jay-Z: Geno Smith has joined Jay-Z for one big sports and hip-hop collaboration.
The New York Jets rookie quarterback has chosen the rap artist’s new Roc Nation Sports to represent him. Smith, who slipped out of the first round last month and fell to the Jets in the second round at No. 39 overall, fired his agents Select Sports shortly after the NFL draft.
The former West Virginia star met with a handful of agents before announcing Wednesday he had chosen Jay-Z’s agency, which is partnered with Creative Artists Agency. Smith insisted after practice that Jay-Z didn’t play “that big of a role” in his final decision although the quarterback recently tweeted a photo of him with the hip-hop star.
“I think it’s just his agency,” Smith said. “When you talk about being in New York from a standpoint of what they can do in the city, the connections that they have, I think it’s a good move. My mother and my family were comfortable with it, and I’m comfortable with it. I’m just going to move on from there. It’s not going to be a big deal. “I’ll just remain humble and keep focusing on football.”