Door closed on Bear brawl
U.S. attorney won't seek charges
By Rudolph Bush
Tribune staff reporter
January 27, 2006, 10:42 PM CST
An investigation into a November fistfight between two Bears players at an FBI shooting range won't lead to criminal charges against the men or discipline of any agents involved in the incident.
Robert Grant, special agent in charge of the Chicago FBI, has decided, however, to ban all alcohol at the North Chicago shooting range, a spokesman said.
The Nov. 7 fight between Bears center Olin Kreutz and offensive tackle Fred Miller occurred after a day of shooting at the range with other Bears players and FBI instructors.
Miller and Kreutz, who were feuding before coming to the range, exchanged blows during an evening barbecue at which both men were drinking.
Miller was left with a fractured jaw and considerable explaining to do with coach Lovie Smith.
Both players were fined $50,000 by the NFL, but appeals of those fines still are pending. Kreutz's agent and team officials declined comment Friday.
FBI spokesman Ross Rice said the bureau did pursue a criminal inquiry into the fight, in part because it occurred on federal land.
The facts were taken to the U.S. attorney's office, which declined to pursue charges in the matter, he said.
Also, "the parties involved in the incident did not want to proceed with criminal prosecution," he said.
The investigation also cleared all agents and other FBI employees of any criminal behavior, Rice said.
"There were no rule violations and no conduct deemed inappropriate on the part of FBI employees," Rice said.
The inquiry found that an ambiguous 1997 authorization on alcohol use at the facility led range staff to serve drinks after the "liaison shoot," Rice said.
Miller and Kreutz were drinking, but the inquiry found "no mixing of alcohol and firearms at the facility," Rice said.
There will be no chance of that in the future because both possession and consumption of alcohol at the range won't be permitted, he said.
The shoots will continue, however, along with barbecues and other social events following them.
As part of its community outreach, the FBI regularly invites civilians from different professions to participate in similar outings.
In other news, the Bears added "assistant head coach" and a pay bump to the job of linebackers coach Bob Babich on Friday. Babich coached with Smith at Tulsa in the 1980s, with the St. Louis Rams in 2003 and with the Bears since 2004. The move came in response to Buffalo expressing interest in interviewing Babich for their defensive coordinator job.
