Was Bears Denial at Night Club Racially Motivated?

A group of Bears players hit the town on Monday night as the veterans continued a tradition of treating the rookies to a night out.  [Read: a lot of guys with big money burning a hole in their pockets want to go out and spend it.]  But what started out as a nice night for dinner turned odd when the group of about 25 players were denied entry to a night club.  No, smart asses, the club was not called The End Zone, it is Pete Wentz’s Angels and Kings.  Here’s the word from the Sun Times’ Stella Foster, who specializes in dishing this gossip crap:

"Every year, the veteran Chicago Bears treat the rookies to an evening of food and fun. On Monday night, Bears including Brian Urlacher (and his brother Casey), Hunter Hillenmeyer, Israel Idonije, Corey Wootton, Garrett Wolfe, Pisa Tinoisamoa, Danieal Manning, Khalil Bell, Henry Melton, Barry Turner, J’Marcus Webb, Craig Steltz, Anthony Adams, Frank Omiyale, Earl Bennett, D.J. Moore, Devin Aromashodu, Rashied Davis, Nick Roach, Lance Briggs, Corey Graham, Desmond Clark, Chris Harris, Tim Jennings, Brandon Manumaleuna and other teammates, dined at various restaurants including Benny’s Chop House on North Wabash. After eating, this entourage of ballers converged and hopped into their limos and expensive cars and headed over to the Angels and Kings nightclub at 710 N. Clark, which is co-owned by musician Pete Wentz of the band Fall Out Boy and hubby of singer Ashlee Simpson.According to my inside source, who was on the scene every step of the way, they were all refused entrance to the club by three bouncers on the door, and no reason was given for not allowing Chicago’s home team to go inside to party. Also, the club was not packed at that time, which was 11:30 at night, and the fellas were not intoxicated. The source said, “The Bears were angry and hurt and felt disrespected because the arrangements were OKd by the head bartender at the club in advance.” Though it was a racially mixed group of players, my source said the Bears felt they weren’t let in because there were too many African-American men."

I give the Bears players all the credit in the world for taking their money elsewhere.  The first time I scanned the article, I missed the part were this was pre-arranged.  So what gives?

Here’s what the reps for the club had to say:

"Late Wednesday night, a spokeswoman for Angels and Kings told Sun-Times reporter Cheryl V. Jackson: “Every Monday night, operations of the bar are turned over to an outside vendor who hosts special events. We understand that this Monday night, members of the Chicago Bears were not admitted to the venue. We have terminated our relationship with the outside vendor. We take these allegations very seriously, will continue to investigate the facts and will apologize to those individuals who were involved.”"

Players reacted on Thursday.  Some thought it may have been racially motivated, like Lance Briggs:

I think Angels and Kings might as well board up their windows; they’re done in this town.  Either that or they should field a team in the NFC North.  At the rate this division is going, they could win it.