Urlacher's Mother Passes Away

That family emergency involving Brian Urlacher's mother turned out to be a huge one. Lavoyda Lenard died unexpectedly this morning. She was 51 years old.

Urlacher announced in a statement:

“My first priority right now is to be with my family as we mourn her loss and make the arrangements to lay her to rest. This is a very difficult and emotional time for us and I sincerely ask that you respect our privacy."

Urlacher has been excused from the Bears to handle these arrangements. His status for Sunday's game against the New Orleans Saints is uncertain.