Apologetic Briggs: I'm very lucky

After losing control and crashing his 640-horsepower Lamborghini Murcielago early Monday, Bears linebacker Lance Briggs said Tuesday that he panicked.

"I didn't want there to be a big scene there, so I left the scene," Briggs told reporters in a brief statement following afternoon practice.

"When I left, I called the tow truck. I also was startled and I called and reported my car stolen. Within probably 10 minutes I called back, and I accepted responsibility for what I did because it was ridiculous in the first place.

"That's what happened. I lost control of my car. I'm happy that no one was injured in the incident."

One news report listed the value of the special-edition car at $600,000, although some models start at $350,000.

Briggs has been cited for leaving the scene of an accident, a misdemeanor, and ticketed for failing to immediately notify police of a crash and for improper lane usage. He has an Oct. 4 court date in Skokie.

State Police found the abandoned vehicle, which had hit a light pole and a concrete bridge support, alongside the Edens Expressway near Devon Avenue on the city's North Side around 3:15 a.m. Monday.

Considering the mangled state of Briggs' luxury roadster, he considers himself fortunate to have escaped unscathed, and it has given him a different outlook on life.

"I'm very lucky to have made it out the way that I did," Briggs said. "It did change me, absolutely. Appreciate every day. The first thing I did when I got back here (to Halas Hall) was hug every one of my teammates and tell them that I love them because you never know what's going to happen."

The commotion over the Briggs crash is the latest in a long list of off-field incidents that have distracted the NFC champion Bears as they prepare for another run at the Super Bowl.

"Any time you have to talk about something besides football it's a distraction," coach Lovie Smith said. "But that's a part of life. You have to deal with those things. I want our football team talking about their teammates, what they're doing on the football field, instead of talking about things off the field.

"As long as we're talking about something else instead of football, yeah, it can be (a distraction)."

Asked to comment on a Channel 5 report that Briggs had visited two clubs before crashing his car, Smith said: "I deal in facts right now. Hearsay, I don't go on a lot of that. The facts haven't come out to me that way."

Briggs, who created headlines when he boycotted off-season activities and threatened to sit out this season to protest his designation as the team's "franchise" player, apologized for the latest distraction.

"I just want to take this moment to just really say sorry to my teammates," Briggs said. "Because it's unfair for them to have to go through all of this and be questioned for something they had nothing to do with, and also my coaches and my family and all that because everybody's getting a lot of phone calls and a lot of people are worried and concerned. If there's anybody I haven't let know that I'm OK and everything is all right."

With the NFL cracking down on off-field indiscretions, though, even misdemeanors will come under scrutiny.

"We'll look into it," said Greg Aiello, NFL vice president of public relations, regarding disciplinary action from the league. "But there is no timetable."

Said Smith: "Every time (there's) any misdemeanor or anything where the authorities are involved, the NFL, I assume, will look into it. Just like we are."

Lamorghini tips

If you just smashed up your Lamorghini Murcielago Roadster LP640, here's what you need to know courtesy of Scott Rothermel, sales manager at Lamborghini Chicago in Westmont.

No pounding out the dents: "All the body work on that car is made out of carbon fiber. When you do crash it, it's ungodly expensive. You don't fix it. You get new parts.".

Fender Bender or Totaled? "When you get a $400,000 car, there's a lot of room to fix stuff before it's totaled."

Base Price: $350,200 (but with gas guzzler fee and options, that generally jumps to $380,000 to $400,000 or more).

Difference between street roadster and Formula One racecar: With the restrictions of racecars, the 640-horsepower Lamborghini "in many respects, is more technologically advanced." Rothermel says. "And it has a trunk."

Top speed with top off: In excess of 208 mph.

Top speed with top on: "There is no figure for the top on, because at that speed the top would blow off."

Cost of an oil change: "300 to 400 bucks, which I guess sounds bad compared to $29.95, but everything is a matter of perspective."

Incentive: Buy one now and you get two free custom-tailored shirts from exclusive clothier Tom James.

But be patient: The dealership gets about a half-dozen a year. "I have about a two-year waiting list," Rothermel says.

And for your insurance questions, Patrick Riordan, Allstate Insurance agent in Bensenville, explains:

Not exactly a Hyundai: "A car like that is already put on a surcharge list," Riordan says. A client with a clean driving record would pay about $9,800 a year to insure that Lamborghini. That same guy driving a Hyundia Accent would pay about $960. A Lamborghini driver with a few traffic tickets could pay as high as $16,600 a year.

Tie the knot: Get married and the $9,800 rate drops to $6,200.

Grow old: Turn 30 and the $9,800 rate drops to $7,200.

Deductible: The average is $500, but does it matter?

Accident Forgiveness: Riordan says this would be a tough accident to forgive. People with that Allstate option don't see rate increases because of one accident, but drivers without that perk who smash a $400,000 car could find rates about $2,000 higher a year and discover they no longer qualify for safe driver discounts.

Burt Constable