Less than 24 hours after a disastrous Thanksgiving Day loss to the Detroit Lions, the Chicago Bears fired head coach Matt Eberflus. The decision came after Eberflus met with the media on Friday to discuss the game, in which quarterback Caleb Williams was sacked with 32 seconds left and then overthrew a potential game-winning pass with seven seconds remaining.
Eberflus had said he wanted to pocket his final timeout to use in case the Bears got some yards before a field goal attempt, but that never came. The decision to let Eberflus talk to the media on Friday and then fire him later in the day was widely criticized on social media.
Team CEO and President Kevin Warren acknowledged that the team had made a mistake, saying that the front office had not yet come to a decision about Eberflus’ fate prior to his Friday conference. Warren admitted that the team “screwed up the ordeal” and that in retrospect, they could have done it better.
Despite the criticism, Warren explained that the team wanted to be respectful and give Eberflus the chance to call his family personally. Eberflus released a statement on Saturday expressing his “heartfelt gratitude” and thanking the fan base for its support and passion. He also left his players with kind words before departing the team.
Eberflus leaves the Bears with a 14-32 record, and Chicago becomes the third NFL team this season to fire a head coach.
