After playing in 17 games across three seasons in Chicago, veteran defensive lineman Jeremiah Ratliff's Bears career is over.
The team announced Thursday that Ratliff has been released, replaced on the roster by former Steelers first-round pick Ziggy Hood.
Ratliff was escorted out of Halas Hall on Wednesday, per Adam Jahns of Chicago Sun-Times, after a heated exchange with general manager Ryan Pace. Lake Forest, Illinois, police were later kept outside Halas Hall after Ratliff was escorted off the premises.
When asked by NFL Media about the Sun-Times' report, a Bears spokesman referred to their comment in their release on the Ratliff news.
"We felt moving forward without Jeremiah was in the best interest of our team," Pace said. "We appreciate his contributions and wish him well. We are also excited to be able to add Ziggy Hood to our roster."
If the alleged incident sounds familiar, it's because Ratliff reportedly had a "volcanic" jaw-to-jaw exchange with Cowboys owner Jerry Jones back in 2012. His time in Dallas was filled with tension from that incident until his October, 2013 release, which was ultimately deemed a legal matter.
The 34-year-old started the past two games after serving a three-game suspension to open the season.
The Bears will go with a youth movement upfront, featuring Will Sutton, Jarvis Jenkins and rookie Eddie Goldman.
