Julius Peppers Reportedly Rented Plane to Transport Bears to Funeral for Urlacher’s Mother

No matter how many negative stories were hear about, there are always some good ones that shine through to make one feel better about humanity. This is one of those stories.

Brian Urlacher’s mother, Lavoyda Lenard, died unexpectedly on Monday. The Bears linebacker missed several days of practice this week and returned to New Mexico for Saturday’s funeral. According to the Chicago Sun-Times, the majority of his defensive teammates will also be in attendance.

The Sun-Times adds that Julius Peppers rented a private plane to transport his teammates to New Mexico for the funeral, and then New Orleans for Sunday’s game against the Saints. Though the report is unclear, I’m taking “Peppers rented a private plane” to mean he not only made arrangements for it, but that he also paid for it.

Regardless of who paid for it, it’s awesome that the Bears are going out of their way to ensure they’re there to support their teammate. And as someone who was signed to a huge free agent deal last year, Peppers is putting his money to good use if he in fact paid for the plane.

This reminds me of what the Indians did last month to ensure Jack Hannahan did not miss the birth of his child. Some athletes may come across as cold and callous, but we’ve learned that teammates support each other more often than not.

Thanks to Da Bear Necessities for the story link