New Bears LB Jerrell Freeman Blasts Former Teammate Coby Fleener

(CBS) A couple days after tight end Coby Fleener questioned the effort and heart of some of his former Colts teammates during an 8-8 season in 2015, former Indianapolis linebacker and new Chicago Bear Jerrell Freeman blasted Fleener during a conversation with wthr.com's Bob Kravitz.

"Fleener, he didn't have the (guts)," Freeman told Kravitz in a text message. "That (bleep) pisses me off. And he must've been looking in the mirror when he did the interview.

"I despise guys like that. That's what little girls do, talk about you when you're not around. I'm a grown man. If I see something I don't like, I'm going to go have a face-to-face convo with that player/players and we are going to get an understanding! I feel like I had a hand in building what's over there (in Indianapolis), so he's (bleeping) on me, too.

After recently signing a five-year deal with the Saints, Fleener reflected unfavorably during his last season with the Colts.

"It's one of those situations where it really reveals character," Fleener said, according to ESPN.com. "The guys that kept fighting through it -- knowing that we may not have our star quarterback on the field but we still have a chance to win the game -- those are the guys you want kind of in your corner. And the other guys, it becomes pretty apparent that they're along for the ride."

Freeman agreed to a three-year deal with the Bears on Saturday. He had 112 tackles in 13 games for the Colts last season. He should start at inside linebacker in Chicago.