Hall of Famer Brian Urlacher has ‘no issues’ betting against Bears

Brian Urlacher played his entire 13-year NFL career with the Chicago Bears.

But the Pro Football Hall of Fame linebacker said he has no problem betting against his former team now that he’s been retired for 10 years.

“This is terrible because I actually bet against them most of the time,” Urlacher said. “They don’t cover a lot, so it’s nice to win money when you can take advantage of it.”

Urlacher, 44, made the comments Saturday during the “Circa Football Preview,” where he was on a panel that included former NFL quarterback and VSiN host Shaun King.

When Urlacher and King were asked if they ever bet against their former teams and if there were any loyalty issues, Urlacher answered first.

“I have no issues betting against the Bears. No,” he said. “If there is a line that I like, I will fire.

“The Bears make me nervous when I bet on them, because they find a way to screw me somehow, I feel like. I try to stay away from their games if I can. But if I like a line, I will bet against them.”

Urlacher, who played for the Bears from 2000 to 2012, said he wasn’t aware of the point spread during his playing days.

“I never knew the spread, never talked about it, never cared about it,” he said. “I didn’t know what it was until two years after retiring and my wife showed me how to bet.

“It’s fun for me. I enjoy watching games when I have money on the line.”

King, who played five seasons for Tampa Bay and one for Arizona, also said he doesn’t have any issues betting against his former NFL teams.

“I don’t bet against Tulane, my college team. But I was ultimately fired or released by all of my professional teams, so I have no problem with them making me money,” he said with a laugh.

Urlacher had a different take on his college alma mater, New Mexico.

“I shouldn’t say this. But I have no problem betting against the Lobos, either,” he said. “We haven’t been good for a while, so if the line is close, I’ll probably go against them as well.”

Last season, New Mexico went 3-9 and had college football’s worst record against the spread at 1-11.

The Bears went 6-11 straight up and ATS. Chicago’s season win total is down to 5½ at Circa after opening at 6½, as bettors have pounded the under.

“The betting public absolutely hates the Chicago Bears,” Circa director of risk Chris Bennett said. “They don’t have the lowest win total, but that’s the team they’re betting on right now.”

Contact reporter Todd Dewey at tdewey@reviewjournal.com. Follow @tdewey33 on Twitter.