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Tommie Harris may no longer be a member of the Chicago Bears, but he loves Chicago and Bears fans.
↵↵How do we know this? Harris took out a full-page ad in the dead-tree edition of the Chicago Tribune today, thanking fans for his seven years in Chicago. He wrote, in part:
↵↵Words cannot express my heartfelt appreciation for your support throughout my seven seasons with the Chicago Bears.↵↵↵
↵From the moment I first stepped off the plane back in 2004, I have felt the warmth of your welcome. I have been embraced by this great city and have come to know it as my home. I consider myself as much as a Chicagoan as a Texan.↵
↵You have cheered with me in our victories, and I don't think I could ever get tired of hearing your roar as I am introduced before a game!
I don't know how much a full-page ad costs these days -- when Eric Karros did the same thing when he left the Cubs after 2003, the cost was $85,000, although the way the newspaper industry is these days, that price may have gone down, not up -- but it's still a classy gesture by Harris to fans who want nothing more than to love players who play here. Thanks, Tommie, and good luck in the future.