(670 The Score) As the Bears appear headed for significant change at season's end, president Ted Phillips' responsibilities could soon change.
Phillips has privately discussed distancing himself from the football operations department, Dan Wiederer of the Chicago Tribune reported Wednesday in a long article detailing the organization's troubles. Phillips has been in his role as team president since 1999, and his voice in football operations has long been a point of debate among outsiders, as he doesn't have a background in that area. Prior to becoming the Bears' president, Phillips was a controller, director of finance and vice president of operations for the organization as he worked on the business side.
Bears chairman George McCaskey has refuted the idea that Phillips has much of a voice in football decisions, but questions have long persisted. General manager Ryan Pace is the Bears' top football operations executive.
The Bears have made only six playoff appearances in Phillips' 22-year tenure as team president, and they haven't won a postseason game since January 2011. Recently, Phillips played a leading role in the Bears signing a purchase agreement for the Arlington Park property, opening the window for the organization to build a new stadium and leave the city for the northwest suburbs.
"Ted has done an outstanding job for us," McCaskey said of Phillips during an interview on 670 The Score last January. "Getting us through this pandemic is just another example of it. He's accessible, he communicates well, he has great organizational skills. He requires much of people.
"Our family has the utmost faith in him. Very grateful for the job that he's done in his time with the Bears."
