It was the most emotional moment of the Bears’ press conference for the firings of general manager Phil Emery and coach Marc Trestman on Monday.
Chairman George McCaskey was asked how his mother, team owner Virginia, felt about the Bears’ massively disappointing 5-11 season. McCaskey paused for nearly 10 seconds and read from notes with tears seemingly building in his eyes.
“She’s been very supportive,” McCaskey said before pausing again. “She agrees with the decisions that we made. She’s pissed off. I can’t think of a 91-year-old woman that that description would apply to, but in this case, I can’t think of a more accurate description.
“She’s been on this Earth for eight of the Bears’ nine championships, and she wants more. She feels that it’s been too long since the last one, and that dissatisfaction is shared by her children, her grandchildren and her-great grandchildren.”
The Bears are looking for their second head coach in the past three years and their second general manager in past four. McCaskey and team president Ted Phillips have hired former NFL executive Ernie Accorsi to help with their searches. Accorsi is said to already have a list for them to consider.
The Bears have only made the playoffs five times since 1992, the last season under Mike Ditka. And the matriarch of the team has enough.
“She’s fed up with mediocrity,” said McCaskey, who reached the decision with Phillips to fire Emery and Trestman on Sunday night. “She feels that she and Bears fans everywhere deserve better.”