Steve Silverman

Lovie, it’s time to open your eyes and pay attention.

Star linebacker Lance Briggs just took his new $400,000 Lamborghini and crashed it into a light pole and a concrete bridge early Monday morning. The car is totaled. Briggs left the scene of the accident, then called police and reported the car stolen. He calls the police again and changes his story, admitting that he was the car's driver.

Briggs isn't a trouble maker, but it's not his first moving violation, either. After leaving practice Tuesday, he apologized for his actions because he was a “distraction” to his teammates, but he offered no substantive explanation to other details. What he was doing at 3:15 a.m.? Who was he was with? How did he get home after the accident?

Briggs was charged with leaving the scene of an accident, failing to immediately notify police of an accident and improper lane usage, but doesn't feel compelled to explain himself. After all, those charges are only misdemeanors. Never mind that he could have killed himself or others. He figures that’s not the public’s business.

Nobody expects athletes with high-priced toys to stay in, but one might think Bears coach Lovie Smith has questions of his own. Was Briggs drinking? Was Briggs drag racing? Where was he before the accident? Where was he going at 3:15 a.m., considering the Bears had practice in less than five hours?

Smith didn't reveal if he and Briggs talked. But Smith reserved anger and resentment for those who questioned Briggs about the incident, especially when alcohol was brought up.

“That’s an unfair conclusion to jump to,” Smith said. “It was a one-car accident. How can you say that alcohol was involved?”

Smith seemed happier that Briggs was back with the team, had returned to practice and didn’t have a scratch on him. After all, Smith is in the business of winning football games and championships — and nothing else.

The Bears like to think of themselves as one big family, but that seems more like one big public relations slogan. Instead of showing worry that a player could've been killed, Smith turned his back on the risky behavior.

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Maybe next time Briggs won’t be so lucky.

You’ll remember how the Bears stood by troubled defensive lineman Tank Johnson last year when his problems included a three-month stint in jail. They didn’t part company with Johnson until police picked him up less than two weeks after his release on suspicion of DUI. His blood tests proved that he was not impaired while driving, but that was enough for the Bears.

They could have parted company with Johnson last November when police found a cache of weapons at his Gurnee, Ill., home. But the Bears were in first place and the playoffs were on the horizon. Johnson was in the defensive tackle rotation and All-Pro Tommie Harris had suffered a season-ending injury. There was no way the Bears would cut him until they didn’t need him.

Instead, the Bears played the role of supportive uncle for good, old Tank. Until it no longer suited their needs. They are doing the same with Briggs.

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Excess spending and excess speed are certainties. But was there excess drinking? Was there excess partying? Smith doesn’t seem to care. Briggs showed up for work the same day as the accident — and that’s all that concerns the coach.

Perhaps Smith did make further inquiries behind closed doors, but even if he did his cavalier public attitude sends the wrong message to his team. “I’m not going to bother you as long as you show up for work and help us win. If you’re a star player, I’ll turn an especially blind eye to whatever you do.”

The last thing Smith wants to do is take Briggs out of the lineup because of a suspension. But such immature and dangerous behavior will almost certainly continue if it goes unchecked. And if that happens, it may not be a suspension that takes Briggs out of the lineup. It could be something far worse.

Perhaps Roger Goodell will have a sterner view.