The Bears officially announced the firing of head coach Matt Eberflus on Friday afternoon in a release featuring statements from General Manager Ryan Poles and team president and CEO Kevin Warren.
Eberflus said at a Friday morning press conference that he’d met with both men in the wake of Thursday’s 23-20 loss to the Lions and said he was confident that he’d remain the head coach despite the bungled clock management at the end of the game. Poles said in his statement that Eberflus was informed of his dismissal after a meeting with Warren and team chairman George McCaskey and Warren’s statement suggested that Poles will be moving forward with the team as they look for their next coach.
“I support Ryan and the decision that was made this morning. We understand how imperative the head-coaching role is for building and maintaining a championship-caliber team, leading our players and our organization,” Warren said. “Our fans have stood by us and persevered through every challenge, and they deserve better results. Our organizational and operational structure is strong, focused, aligned and energized for the future.”
Offensive passing game coordinator Thomas Brown is the interim head coach. It is the first head coaching opportunity for Brown, who took over offensive play-calling duties when offensive coordinator Shane Waldron was fired three weeks ago.
