Chicago Bears Countdown to Kickoff: 91 Days with Tommie Harris

The end of Harris' career and his life since retirement

During the 2009 season, Harris's play on the field started to decline a bit, as the defensive tackle recorded only 2.5 sacks with 10 tackles for loss, but with his knee injury from 2007 still lingering, Harris was reaching the end of his career with the Bears as the defensive line appeared to be overhauled.

By the time the 2010 season came along, Harris accepted more of a reserve role for the team to get a better look at some younger players such as Henry Melton and Marcus Harrison. Starting only six games, Harris appeared in 15 contests, recording just 1.5 sacks and two tackles for loss. At the end of the season, Harris was released by the Bears, ending his time in Chicago.

Harris would go on to sign a one-year deal with the Colts, and after being released before the 2011 season, he would be released again, signing with the Chargers for the year. Primarily as a backup, Harris played well in his role, adding three sacks and five tackles for loss while making a start in one game.

Harris decided to retire after the season following the tragic loss of his wife, Ashely Harris. After being married for only a little more than a month, Ashely suffered a brain aneurysm and unfortunately did not survive.

Since his retirement and this tragic incident, Tommie Harris has published a book titled Endure: Playing Through Life's Hardest Hits, which details his life, and how he chose to handle his loss. Today, Harris is an executive at Vertical Momentum and also serves as a motivational speaker.

With seven years in Chicago, Harris's 28.5 sacks are best for tied 14th in Bears' history, matched only by Israel Idonije and William Perry. Notably, Harris spent the majority of his career at defensive tackle, with Alex Brown and Adewale Ogunleye, both of whom were recent focuses of Chicago Bears Countdown to Kickoff for the numbers 96 and 93, respectively. A defensive tackle that defined nearly a decade of Chicago Bears football, Harris played at an elite level in Chicago, and was an instrumental member of the Lovie Smith coordinated defenses.