Lance Briggs misses practice for restaurant opening

Lance Briggs was excused from Chicago Bears practice on Labor Day by coach Mark Trestman. When the reason for that absence trickled to the media, the issue naturally blew up. It turns out Briggs missed practice to attend the opening of his restaurant. While many in the Chicago area criticized Briggs for leaving practice less than a week before the team’s season opener against the Buffalo Bills, Briggs insisted it would affect nothing.

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“As a guy who has been here more than 12 years, I’ve poured my heart out on the field every game and every play,” Briggs said per the Chicago Tribune. “So if you’re questioning whether I cared more to be there than to be here, my history has always spoken for me. So you can take that how you want to.”

Asked if Trestman clarified for the reason Briggs wanted off, Briggs said no. “He just trusted (me). It was trust. I asked him for a personal day. He said OK. I guess my announcing the opening of my restaurant made bigger news than we expected.”

As Briggs noted, he’s a 12-year veteran in the league and Monday’s practice was one hour long. If anyone really thinks that one hour is the difference between a prepared Lance Briggs and otherwise, they need a dose of reality and another look at his Week 1 opponent.

The Bears host the Bills at 1PM EST on Sunday in each team’s first game of the 2014 NFL season.