Brian Urlacher’s mother, Lavoyda, died suddenly at her home in Texas on Monday and Urlacher has temporarily left the team to be with his family.  She was 51-years-old.

“My first priority right now is to be with my family, as we mourn her loss and make the arrangements to lay her to rest,” Urlacher said in a statement released by the team.

“This is a very difficult and emotional time for us and I sincerely ask that you respect our privacy.  Thank you.”

Chicago Bears head coach Lovie Smith indicated that he doesn’t know if Urlacher will return in time to play against the Saints on Sunday.

”Right now we’re just there supporting Brian,” Smith said. ”He’s there with his family, which I want him to do. He’ll let us know where we’re going from there.”

”It’s just sad,” Smith went on. ”I’m lucky to be his coach. But our relationship goes a lot further than that. I lost my mother earlier this year.  One of the first guys on the telephone with me was Brian.

With the Bears playing the Saints on Sunday, quarterback Drew Brees echoed Smith’s sentiment when talking to the Chicago media on Wednesday.  Brees lost his mother unexpectedly in 2009.  He said that he expects Urlacher to play on Sunday.

”I know for me, as hard as that was and as much as I needed to be with my family at that time, your teammates are also part of your family, too,” Brees said.

”A big part of my healing was coming back and being with the guys in the locker room and getting back to playing football. Because I knew that’s what she always loved watching me do.”

There’s isn’t a tougher man in the NFL than Brian Urlacher, and our thoughts and prayers go out to him and his family at this difficult time.