The Chicago Bears fired former head coach Matt Eberflus on Friday morning, but not until he had already participated in a press conference just hours before his ouster.
The press conference sparked immediate backlash from NFL reporters and fans, with many asking why the team had Eberflus speak to media just before he was fired from his job as head coach.
Bears president Kevin Warren was asked that question during a Monday press availability at Halas Hall, and said that the team had not yet made a final decision on Eberflus’ future before he spoke to the media.
“When Coach Eberflus had his last press conference, we had not made a final decision,” he said. “If there’s one thing we stand for, it’s family and integrity and doing it the right way.”
Warren said the team had wanted to take their time with the decision, allowing for the team to return from Detroit as discussions were ongoing. He also said that the team had wanted to make sure that news of the firing didn’t leak out before they had spoken to Eberflus and allowed him to speak to his family.
“In retrospect, could we have done it better? Absolutely, I’ll be the first one to raise my hand (and admit that),” he said. ‘During his press conference and even a couple of hours later, we had not reached a decision. Once we reached the decision, we wanted to make sure to talk with Matt about that, so he could have the respect to be able to call his family.”
Eberflus was fired Friday after the Bears had coughed up another golden opportunity to score a win over a division rival. After Caleb Williams was sacked with 36 seconds remaining, the Bears only managed to get one more play off, with Eberflus deciding not to call the team’s final timeout to get things set up.
Local
General manager Ryan Poles said end-of-game management had played a role in the decision to fire Eberflus as head coach, and that the team’s leadership group had extensive conversations about the path forward.
Interim offensive coordinator Thomas Brown was elevated to the role of interim head coach after the firing of Eberflus, with Chris Beatty being elevated to the role of offensive coordinator. Brown will continue to call plays on offense, and defensive coordinator Eric Washington will handle defensive play-calling duties, Brown announced Monday.
Feeling out of the loop? We'll catch you up on the Chicago news you need to know. Sign up for the weekly Chicago Catch-Up newsletter.
The new leadership team will now turn their sights toward preparing for the San Francisco 49ers, with a road game looming Sunday in the Bay Area.
