John Fox declined to elaborate on any of the circumstances surrounding the Bears’ abrupt release of Jeremiah Ratliff last week, but the Bears coach acknowledged that Lake Forest police were called because “sometimes if you think you need that, that’s what you do for the safety of your building.”
Sources confirmed that concerns increased during an acrimonious conversation between Ratliff and GM Ryan Pace, in which Pace was attempting to dial down the tension of the moment. Ratliff’s behavior and language was “threatening,” sources said, leading to the Bears calling for support beyond their own security detail.
It was not the first confrontational incident involving Ratliff.