Hiring of Kevin Warren another win for progressive Bears

Before the 2019 season, the Bears had a celebration for the 100th season of the NFL. It was fitting for the charter franchise of the league to throw a giant party. During the celebration George McCaskey announced the team would be wearing throwback jerseys modeled after ones the team wore in 1936. There was only one problem, those uniforms debuted during a period where the NFL was excluding Black players from playing the game.

Chicago sports historian Jack Silverstein wrote an incredibly researched piece examining what role, if any, George Halas played in this era of segregation. At a time when the Bears wanted to celebrate their past, they were being haunted by it. It was a humiliating moment for the franchise.

McCaskey took action doing something that people in power often talk about, but rarely do: actually listen to others. The Bears had a social justice committee of players work through the issue with McCaskey. The result was positive conversations where the Bears chairman did more listening than talking. Then the team produced a video with McCaskey explaining what was a dark time in team, family, and league history.

“This Sunday against the Vikings, our players will wear the 1936 classic jersey,” said McCaskey. “That was from a time when, unfortunately, African Americans were not included on the Bears or other NFL rosters. Integration of the NFL and the Bears was too long in coming. But we’re proud that this year’s Bears will be the first African Americans to wear this jersey.”

I don’t know if this was a catalyst for change in the Bears organization overall, but it sure seems like it. McCaskey is privileged and quirky. Two factors that allow us to take jabs at him, but it seems clear that since then, he’s been more open to looking at the experience of his players through a different lens. The Bears are better off because of it.

In the middle of the pandemic, where issues of social justice were becoming too big to ignore, McCaskey again sat down with players to learn from their experience. Former linebacker Sam Acho and McCaskey had numerous conversations about the subject and put out a video explaining how the Bears would again take action.

Since then, we’ve heard McCaskey talk about the influence of people like: Lamar Campbell and Tanesha Wade. I admit that I feared that this was the Bears using high ranking Black executives as shield for failure, but McCaskey elevated their profiles during the process that led to Ryan Poles’ hiring. For a franchise that often operated like a mom & pop store, the Bears started to look less insular.

Now three of the most powerful people inside Halas Hall are Black. Justin Fields has become a fan favorite and a symbol of hope. The football operation is run by Poles who’s been tasked with bringing the Bears back to glory. He’s armed with the most cap space in the league and the number one pick in the draft.

On Tuesday, the Bears introduced new President and CEO, Kevin Warren. When news of Warren’s interest leaked out, it seemed like a perfect pairing. The resume speaks for itself. He has NFL experience, including being the point-person on the building of US Bank Stadium in Minneapolis. Considering the Bears have their own parcel of land to build on, his experience will be invaluable. Coupled with the rights deal Warren brokered for the Big Ten, it’s hard to think of anyone who was more qualified to take over for Ted Phillips.

It’s quite the turnaround for McCaskey and the Bears. Three years ago they were embarrassing themselves on the public stage when it came to issues of race and inclusion. Now they’re one of the most progressive franchises in the entire league. That doesn’t happen without the powerful really examining their successes and failures. McCaskey deserves credit for that.

I don’t know if any of this is going to work, but I do know that the Bears have become easier to root for. They are acting like a company worth billions of dollars should — finding the best people no matter what. The change has been seismic. This isn’t your grandfather’s franchise anymore and that’s a win for us all.

You can hear Laurence Holmes talk Chicago sports Monday to Friday from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. on 670 The Score with Dan Bernstein.

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