Olin Kreutz, a six-time Pro Bowler for the Bears, recently spoke for the first time since he was let go by Chicago-based sports media company, CHGO Sports, in May after allegedly assaulting a fellow employee.
Kreutz served as an analyst for NBC Sports Chicago. In May, he allegedly “grabbed the neck of CHGO colleague Adam Hoge in response to a flippant remark” during a staff meeting at CHGO’s office. The two did a show together entitled NBCSCH’s Football Aftershow where Kreutz had become a household name for his analysis of the Bears.
Following the incident, Kreutz reportedly reached out to Hoge privately about the incident but had not addressed the situation publicly. However, when the report surfaced that the company was firing him, Kreutz said he had “already decided that his time was up at CHGO”, citing some things that he thought were “unprofessional” in how the company was ran, according to the Chicago Sun-Times.
“I know they came out and said they fired me, but … that was my decision,” Kreutz told the Sun-Times. “And like I told my kids, you do something like that, you pay the penalty. You take the punishment and then you try to become a better person and try to learn from every situation.”
Per the Sun-Times, Hoge did not require treatment nor did he file a police report after the incident. He also wanted to continue the show with Kreutz. However, Kreutz was against the idea, saying he “thought his time was done” at CHGO.
Even more, the two-time All-Pro center said that the incident made some of his colleagues “uneasy” in the building.
“… If people don’t feel good about me being there, I obviously don’t want to be there," Kreutz told the Times. "From my point of view, how could that change? … And, if they’re afraid of me, then you should ask them what they plan on saying to me. Obviously, you don’t ever get an answer for that.”
While Kreutz will no longer be working for NBC Sports Chicago, he also worked as an analyst for 670 The Score in Chicago. But, it has not been determined whether he will return to the platform.
Kreutz played for the Bears from 1998 to 2010 before spending one season with the Saints.
