A corruption trial in New Orleans has produced today’s oddest NFL-related story, involving Brian Urlacher’s brother selling tickets to the 2007 NFC Championship Game to someone who then gave the tickets to the mayor of New Orleans — only to find out they weren’t valid tickets to the game.
The New Orleans Times Picayune reports that Ed Burns, a witness in the trial of a former city vendor, said Urlacher’s brother later apologized for the mistake, which left then New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin and his wife sitting outside in the cold and unable to enter the Saints-Bears game.
It’s not clear how Urlacher’s brother came into possession of the invalid tickets, which he sold to Burns. But Nagin did eventually get into the game after pulling some strings at Soldier Field.
Given that the Bears won 39-14, Nagin probably would have preferred to miss it.