Chicago Bears linebacker Brian Urlacher thinks newly acquired receiver Brandon Marshall might have to sit out for portions of next season, depending on how the NFL decides to handle a report that Marshall allegedly hit a woman near a club in New York earlier this month.
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"The only thing I worry about is him getting suspended," Urlacher said on ESPN 1000 on Tuesday. "The NFL is pretty harsh on stuff like that. That's one thing I worry about, is him missing time."
Bears general manager Phil Emery had previously revealed that the league had approached him about the incident. Marshall told The Associated Press Friday that he didn't expect to be suspended by the NFL.
Urlacher has no worries, however, when it comes to the impact that Marshall will have on the Bears' chemistry.
"I've met him a couple of times," Urlacher said. "I hear he's a good teammate. That's all I care about. We don't have issues with guys in our locker room. Everyone fits in pretty well in our locker room, and I don't see it being different with him."
Christin Myles, the woman who claims to have been hit by Marshall, told the New York Daily News she wants the receiver "criminally held accountable for what he did to me."
At his introductory news conference Friday, Marshall told reporters that "the truth" is going to come out about the incident. His attorney, Harvey Steinberg, had released a statement implying that Marshall had been attempting to escape the situation without getting involved.
The New York Post published a report of the incident shortly after Marshall's trade from the Miami Dolphins to the Bears.
Urlacher also told the radio station that he is continuing to work on his left knee, which was hurt in the regular-season finale against the Vikings.
"There's some things I still can't do right now," he said. "When it's time for me to be healthy ... I haven't pushed it. I've done what I've been told to do."
Urlacher injured the medial collateral and posterior cruciate ligaments in the knee.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
