The Texas jurors made the multi-million dollar award to Mr Ernst's widow, Carol, to cover a combination of his lost pay as a Wal-Mart produce manager, mental anguish, loss of companionship and punitive damages.
Analysts cited a combination of bargain hunting around the recent lows plus buying to cover short positions in which short-term speculators previously sold gold.
Urlacher, who will be 35 when the season kicks off, anchored the Bears' famous Cover-2 defense for over a decade, reaching a Super Bowl in 2007 while using his rare combination of speed and size to roam the middle of the field while the Bears defensive backs took care of the outside.