The Bears have interviewed Big Ten president Kevin Warren, who is considered a finalist for their soon-to-be vacant president/CEO position, a source confirmed Thursday afternoon.

Before joining the Big Ten in 2020, Warren served as the Vikings’ chief operating officer when they built U.S. Bank Stadium. Some inside Halas Hall consider the Vikings’ stadium to be the ideal blueprint for a possible new stadium in Arlington Heights.

The Bears are in escrow on the 326-acre former Arlington International Racecourse property and hope to close on it in early 2023, right around the time president/CEO Ted Phillips’ tenure ends. They want to build a stadium on the land, alongside hotels, restaurants and shops.

Phillips announced in September that he planned on retiring at the end of the season — on Feb. 28 — after 23 years in his role. The Bears are expected to hire his replacement before then, perhaps to allow Phillips to help with the transition.

Phillips himself has been involved in the search for his replacement. McCaskey, Phillips and Tanesha Wade, the Bears’ senior vice president of diversity, equity and inclusion, have been interviewing candidates for the job.

“We have not set a timeline for announcing Ted Phillips’ successor,” the Bears said in a statement. “Our search team has cast a wide net, spoke to many outstanding candidates and looks forward to introducing our next President and CEO at the process’s conclusion.”

Warren — the first African-American to be named a Power 5 college commissioner — led a paradigm-shifting expansion of the league. UCLA and USC will leave the Pac-12 for the Big Ten, which is based in Rosemont, in 2024.

Warren would represent a considerable shift in philosophy for the Bears, in that he came from outside Halas Hall. Phillips is only the fourth president in Bears history — and the first that wasn’t related to founder George Halas.

His son “Mugs” Halas held the job after “Papa Bear,” followed by grandson Michael McCaskey. Phillips replaced McCaskey after serving as vice president of operations from 1993-99, finance director from 1987-93 and controller from 1983-87.

Phillips said in September he was open to sticking around in a consulting role after retirement.

“It’s hard to say no when you’ve been somewhere for 40 years,” he said.

Warren began his NFL career as a legal counsel for the St. Louis Rams in 1997. He was named the Lions’ senior vice president of business operations and general counsel in 2001. In 2005, after a two-year stint with a law firm, he joined the Vikings, where he stayed for 14 years. He was named COO in 2015.

McCaskey said then that the Bears had no plans to restructure their front office with a football czar. Rather, they wanted someone to do what Phillips did — run business operations.

McCaskey said in September he didn’t need a president with experience building a stadium, hoping that they would be able to hire someone “with that expertise” to work underneath them. McCaskey said the Bears didn’t want to “get locked into a quote-unquote football person or a quote-unquote businessperson.” Rather, he detailed the traits he was looking for in a new president.

“Leadership, vision, humility, consensus-building,” McCaskey said. “You look at the qualities of outstanding leaders, and we think we’re going to be able to bring in an exceptional candidate to succeed Ted and lead the Bears.”

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The Chicago Bears need a new President/CEO

News broke in September that longtime Chicago Bears President/CEO Ted Phillips would be stepping down after this season. Bears fans were excited about the plan in September, and after seeing how this season has gone, there won’t be too many parties in Logan Square honoring the businessman.

The Bears have been looking at potential candidates since the announcement. A new report came out Thursday that named a candidate currently outside of the NFL that the Bears were giving serious consideration.

According to a report by Pete Thamel of ESPN, the Chicago Bears are interested in Big Ten commissioner Kevin Warren replacing Phillips. Thamel reports that Warren interviewed for the job and is a final candidate.

Kevin Warren’s credentials

Warren has served as the Big Ten commissioner since January 2020. The Big Ten lists securing media rights as one of his tenure’s most significant accomplishments :

“Commissioner Warren secured groundbreaking media rights agreements with the linear networks CBS, NBC, FOX and the direct-to-consumer streaming platform, Peacock on August 18, 2022. The seven-year media rights agreements will begin July 1, 2023, and provide fans with unprecedented access and Big Ten football, women’s and men’s basketball, and Olympic sports student-athletes with greater exposure than any other collegiate sports conference in history.”

Warren has experience as an NFL executive. He worked his way up to the position of COO for the Minnesota Vikings before accepting the Big Ten commissioner job. Per his website, Warren has decades of experience as an executive at the professional level:

Shortly after an introduction to former St. Louis Rams coach Dick Vermeil, Warren was hired by the St. Louis Rams. During his four-year tenure with St. Louis, the Rams experienced a Super Bowl victory. Kevin was then recruited to work with the Detroit Lions and served as Senior Vice President of Business Operations and General Counsel.

After moving back to his home state of Arizona to work at the international law firm of Greenberg Traurig, LLP, Warren advised the Wilf family on the purchase of the Minnesota Vikings franchise in 2005. Beginning his tenure with the Vikings, Warren worked for the Vikings in various business and legal capacities. Warren was promoted to the position of Chief Operating Officer (COO) in February of 2015, making him the first African American COO in the National Football League (NFL) and the highest ranking African American business executive in the NFL.

Warren has been out of the NFL game for a few years. He oversaw the Big Ten during one of the most transformative times in college sports. He steered the ship through Covid-19, NIL funding, the expansion conferences, and of the College Football Playoff. It’ll be interesting to see if the Chicago Bears want to bring him back into the NFL waters. He seems like the type of person who can quickly be brought up to speed.

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The Bears have interviewed Big Ten president Kevin Warren, who is considered a finalist for their soon-to-be vacant president/CEO position, a source confirmed Thursday afternoon.

Before joining the Big Ten in 2020, Warren served as the Vikings’ chief operating officer when they built U.S. Bank Stadium. Some inside Halas Hall consider the Vikings’ stadium to be the ideal blueprint for a possible new stadium in Arlington Heights.

The Bears are in escrow on the 326-acre former Arlington International Racecourse property and hope to close on it in early 2023, right around the time president/CEO Ted Phillips’ tenure ends. They want to build a stadium on the land, alongside hotels, restaurants and shops.

Phillips announced in September that he planned on retiring at the end of the season — on Feb. 28 — after 23 years in his role. The Bears are expected to hire his replacement before then, perhaps to allow Phillips to help with the transition.

Phillips himself has been involved in the search for his replacement. McCaskey, Phillips and Tanesha Wade, the Bears’ senior vice president of diversity, equity and inclusion, have been interviewing candidates for the job.

“We have not set a timeline for announcing Ted Phillips’ successor,” the Bears said in a statement. “Our search team has cast a wide net, spoke to many outstanding candidates and looks forward to introducing our next President and CEO at the process’s conclusion.”

Warren — the first African-American to be named a Power 5 college commissioner — led a paradigm-shifting expansion of the league. UCLA and USC will leave the Pac-12 for the Big Ten, which is based in Rosemont, in 2024.

Warren would represent a considerable shift in philosophy for the Bears, in that he came from outside Halas Hall. Phillips is only the fourth president in Bears history — and the first that wasn’t related to founder George Halas.

His son “Mugs” Halas held the job after “Papa Bear,” followed by grandson Michael McCaskey. Phillips replaced McCaskey after serving as vice president of operations from 1993-99, finance director from 1987-93 and controller from 1983-87.

Phillips said in September he was open to sticking around in a consulting role after retirement.

“It’s hard to say no when you’ve been somewhere for 40 years,” he said.

Warren began his NFL career as a legal counsel for the St. Louis Rams in 1997. He was named the Lions’ senior vice president of business operations and general counsel in 2001. In 2005, after a two-year stint with a law firm, he joined the Vikings, where he stayed for 14 years. He was named COO in 2015.

McCaskey said then that the Bears had no plans to restructure their front office with a football czar. Rather, they wanted someone to do what Phillips did — run business operations.

McCaskey said in September he didn’t need a president with experience building a stadium, hoping that they would be able to hire someone “with that expertise” to work underneath them. McCaskey said the Bears didn’t want to “get locked into a quote-unquote football person or a quote-unquote businessperson.” Rather, he detailed the traits he was looking for in a new president.

“Leadership, vision, humility, consensus-building,” McCaskey said. “You look at the qualities of outstanding leaders, and we think we’re going to be able to bring in an exceptional candidate to succeed Ted and lead the Bears.”

Read More

The dog was chasing.

That’s about the best analogy DeMar DeRozan could come up with in the wake of the signature win of the Bulls 2022-23 season so far.

Down 11 with just over three minutes left in regulation, DeRozan led a furious comeback, and then a dominant performance in the overtime, to beat the conference-rival Bucks at the United Center on Wednesday night.

Oh by the way, a second win over Milwaukee this season, to go along with two wins each over Boston and Miami, as well as a victory over suddenly red-hot Brooklyn.

So how does a team that’s lost to Orlando, Houston and Oklahoma City have a 7-1 record against the Eastern Conference’s elite?

“It’s kind of like when you’re running fast, you start running faster if a dog starts chasing you, right?” DeRozan said when asked that very question. “That’s kind of like that type of feeling, if that makes sense.”

It definitely does.

And there’s the frustration with this Bulls team. Why wait for the dogs to be unleashed to care enough to start sprinting?

Urgency can’t be treated like a light switch.

That’s how teams have disappointing seasons, and front offices are duped into chasing fool’s gold. How can executive vice president of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas wake up Thursday morning and say “I’ve got to blow this up?”

Hard to justify when the players have competed against the NBA’s best on most nights.

And that’s the problem with the 15-19 Bulls. They’re inconsistent enough to lose to anyone in the league, but good enough to force Karnisovas & Co. to stick with the “continuity” plan, missing out on at least attempting to flip some pieces for draft capital.

What Karnisovas has on his side, however, is time. The deadline isn’t coming until Feb. 9, so if DeRozan can get his teammates to actually play with urgency rather than just talk about it, minds can be eased.

“I guess the best brings the best out of you,” DeRozan said. “Now we’ve got to translate that over to carrying that within, and go out there and play like that every single night. Not worry about if we’re playing a good team, are we playing a not so good team, and we’re going to run over them.

“We’ve got to play with that sense of urgency every single night, and nights like this [one against Milwaukee] we’ve got to turn into consistency.”

Basically, what coach Billy Donovan has been begging of his team since last season. Donovan calls it “the price of admission.”

That fee players have to pay every game, which means playing hard both mentally and physically, even if that means sacrificing your body for the team. That’s just to get in the door as far as Donovan was concerned. Then there’s all the other details of the game that have to be taken care of.

Does this Bulls roster have the make-up to do that over the remaining 48 games? Considering they have the second-easiest schedule left in the NBA that will definitely be tested.

That’s why as frustrating as it’s been for the fan base, there’s a very likely scenario that Karnisovas is not a seller at the deadline.

In fact, maybe he actually looks to add some minor role pieces.

Either way, DeRozan has a feeling that it will at least be interesting.

“Very theatrical,” DeRozan said of the season so far. “That’s what makes a great movie. We’ve just got to end it off well. Definitely been entertaining.”

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Thursday, December 29, 2022

PUBLIC LEAGUE BLUE-SOUTH

Chicago Military at EPIC, 5:00

BLOOMINGTON / NORMAL

Small Schools

East Dubuque vs. Olympia, 2:00

Rock Falls vs. Winnebago, 12:30

El Paso-Gridley vs. Notre Dame (Quincy), 12:30

Fieldcrest vs. McNamara, 2:00

St. Joseph-Ogden vs. Rockford Lutheran, 7:00

University High (Normal) vs. Bloomington Catholic

Annawan vs. Tri-Valley, 12:00

Providence-St. Mel vs. Aurora Christian, 1:30

11th Place, 6:30

Consolation Championship, 8:30

7th Place, 8:00

5th Place, 7:00

Large Schools

Normal vs. North Lawndale, 11:00

Oswego vs. Mahomet-Seymour, 9:30a

Bradley-Bourbonnais vs. Peoria Central, 9:30a

Brother Rice vs. Rock Island, 11:00

Sacred Heart-Griffin vs. Wheaton-Warr. South, 4:0

Mesa (AZ) vs. Romeoville, 5:30

North Chicago vs. Harlem, 9:00a

Joliet Central vs. Springfield, 10:30

11th Place, 3:30

Consolation Championship, 5:30

7th Place, 5:00

5th Place, 4:00

CENTRALIA

Cahokia vs. Kipp (MO), 8:30a

Champaign Central vs. Dyett, 10:00

Payton vs. Hillwood (TN), 3:30

Confluence (MO) vs. Glenwood, 9:15

Marist vs. Wekiva (FL), 12:30

Evanston vs. Mount Vernon, 2:00

Ritter (MO) vs. Belleville West, 6:15

Centralia vs. Carmel, 7:45

COLLINSVILLE

Mundelein vs. Madison, 10:00

Rockford East vs. Collinsville, 1:00

Mundelein vs. TBA

Rockford East vs. TBA

DE KALB

Ogden vs. Belvidere North, 9:00a

McHenry vs. Hononegah, 10:30

Dundee-Crown vs. Manley, 1:30

Marshall vs. Plainfield East. 12:00

DeKalb vs. Lincoln-Way West, 3:00

Phillips vs. Naperville Central, 4:30

Geneva vs. Huntley, 7:30

Guilford vs. East Moline, 6:00

EAST AURORA

DRW Prep vs. IMSA, 1:00

Hope Academy vs. Plainfield Central, 2:35

Joliet Catholic vs. East Aurora, 4:10

Downers Grove North vs. Wheaton Academy, 5:45

EASTLAND

Amboy vs. West Carroll, 2:00

Forreston vs. Eastland, 3:30

Galena vs. Byron, 5:00

Pecatonica vs. South Beloit, 6:30

EFFINGHAM / TEUTOPOLIS

at Teutopolis

Belvidere vs. Lutheran North (MO), 9:00

Dixon vs. Charleston, 10:30

Oak Lawn vs. St. Anthony, 12:00

Brooks vs. Teutopolis, 1:30

at Effingham

Mattoon vs. Newton, 9:00

Knoxville vs. Highland, 10:30

Lincoln-Way East vs. Centennial, 12:00

Pleasant Plains vs. Effingham, 1:30

at Teutopolis

13th Place Semi-Final, 4:30 (at Effingham)

Consolation Semi-Final, 4:30

5th Place Semi-Final, 6:00

Semi-Final, 7:30

at Effingham

13th Place Semi-Final, 6:00

Consolation Semi-Final, 4:30

5th Place Semi-Final, 6:00

Semi-Final, 7:30

ELGIN

Westminster Christian vs. Bowen, 9:00a

Round Lake vs. Elgin Academy, 10:30

King vs. West Chicago, 12:00

Aurora Central vs. Mather, 1:45

Lake View vs. Waukegan, 3:15

Chicago Christian vs. Raby, 4:45

Walther Christian vs. Shepard, 6:30

Kennedy vs. Elgin, 8:00

ERIE-PROPHETSTOWN

Beecher vs. Morrison, 7:30

GOLDEN GATE (FL)

Loyola vs. Doral (FL), 7:30

GREENVIEW

Grace Christian vs. Blue Ridge, 9:30a

HINSDALE CENTRAL

Glenbard East vs. Oak Forest, 9:30

Morton vs. Willowbrook, 11:00

Richards vs. St. Charles East, 12:30

Lincoln-Way Central vs. Maine South, 3:45

Morgan Park vs. Auburn, 2:00

Stevenson vs. Homewood-Flossmoor, 5:15

DePaul vs. Marian Catholic, 7:00

Oswego East vs. Hinsdale Central, 8:30

IC CATHOLIC / WESTMONT

at Westmont

Elmwood Park vs. UC-Woodlawn, 3:00

Latin vs. South Shore, 6:00

Glenbard South vs. Westmont, 4:30

Christ the King vs. Taft, 7:30

at IC Catholic

Alcott vs. Reavis, 3:00

St. Edward vs. Eisenhower, 6:00

Catalyst-Maria vs. Fenger, 4:30

Evergreen Park vs. IC Catholic, 7:30

JACOBS

Streamwood vs. Jefferson, 9:00a

Elk Grove vs. Marian Central, 10:30

Johnsburg vs. Jacobs, 1:30

Grant vs. South Elgin, 12:00

Cary-Grove vs. Bartlett, 3:00

Larkin vs. Prairie Ridgem 4:30

Barrington vs. Grayslake Central, 6:00

Crystal Lake South vs. Hoffman Estates, 7:30

KANKAKEE

Blue Division

Cissna Park vs. Clifton Central, 9:00a

Grant Park vs. Manteno, 12:00

Momence vs. Herscher, 3:00

St. Anne vs. Peotone, 6:00

Maroon Division

Butler vs. Dunbar, 10:30

Schurz vs. Hansberry, 1:30

Lindblom vs. Von Steuben, 4:30

Jefferson (IN) vs. Kankakee, 7:30

LA MOILLE

Hiawatha vs. DePue, 4:30

LaMoille vs. Lowpoint-Washburn, 6:00

LITTLE VILLAGE

TBA

MAINE EAST

Bulls Prep vs. Argo, 9:00

Richards (Chgo) vs. Sullivan, 10:30

Jones vs. Sandburg, 3:00

Metea Valley vs. Crane, 4:30

Vernon Hills vs. Westinghouse, 12:00

Ridgewood vs. Addison Trail, 1:30

Niles West vs. Leyden, 6:00

Providence vs. Maine East, 7:30

MARQUETTE (OTTAWA)

Somonauk vs. Gradner-So. Wilmington, 9:00a

Indian Creek vs. Flanagan-Cornell, 10:30

St. Bede vs. Woodland, 12:00

Dwight vs. Putnam County, 1:30

Hall vs. Earlville, 3:30

Lexington vs. Wilmington, 5:00

Serena vs. Reed-Custer, 6:30

Seneca vs. Marquette, 8:00

NORTH BOONE

Alden-Hebron vs. Durand, 2:00

North Boone vs. Harvard, 3:30

PEKIN

Limestone vs. Comer, 11:00

Plainfield South vs. Perspectives-MSA, 12:30

Lake Zurich vs. Lake Park, 2:00

Boylan vs. Richwoods, 2:00

Normal West vs. Washington (IL), 11:00

Lanphier vs. Pekin, 12:30

Morton (IL) vs. Hersey, 5:00

Moline vs. Mount Carmel, 6:30

PLANO

Mendota vs. Morris, 9:00a

Newark vs. Hinckley-Big Rock, 10:30

Sandwich vs. Lisle, 12:30

Plano vs. Coal City, 2:00

Yorkville Christian vs. Ottawa, 3:30

Northridge vs. Streator, 5:30

Kaneland vs. Marmion, , 7:00

Notre Dame (Peoria) vs. Burlington Central, 8:30

PONTIAC

Plainfield North vs. Oak Park-River Forest, 9:30a

Manual vs. Bloomington, 8:00a

Warren vs. Danville, 2:30

St. Charles North vs. West Aurora, 6:00

Bloom vs. Benet, 1:00

Lockport vs. Joliet West, 11:00

New Trier vs. Curie, 4:00

Simeon vs. Pontiac, 7:30

Consolation Semi-Final, 9:00

PROVISO WEST

Bowman (IN) vs. Zion-Benton, 11:00

Crete-Monee vs. Southland, 12:30

Bogan vs. Clark, 2:00

Hammond Central (IN) vs. Fenwick, 4:00

St. Rita vs. Proviso East, 5:30

Young vs. Kenwood, 7:00

RICH

Thornton vs. Tinley Park, 9:00a

Thornridge vs. Longwood, 10:30

Thornton Fr. South vs. Bremen, 12:00

Noll (IN) vs. St. Francis de Sales, 1:30

Francis Parker vs. Thornwood, 3:30

De La Salle vs. Agriculutral Science, 5:00

Perspectives-Lead vs. Hyde Park, 6:30

Rich vs. Hillcrest, 8:00

WHEELING

Maine West vs. Prosser, 9:00a

Antioch vs Wheeling, 10:30

St. Viator vs. Buffalo Grove, 12:15

Niles North vs. Englewood STEM, 2:00

Hampshire vs. Deerfield, 3:45

Prospect vs. Notre Dame, 5:30

Libertyville vs. Neuqua Valley, 7:15

Fremd vs. Glenbrook North, 8:45

WILLIAMSVILLE

Roanoke-Benson vs. Havana

YORK

Leo vs. Stagg, 8:30a

Montini vs. Highland Park, 9:00a

Minooka vs. Nazareth, 11:30

St. Francis vs. Downers Grove South, 12:00

Schaumburg vs. Batavia, 3:00

Hinsdale South vs. Andrew, 4:30

Glenbard West vs. Wheaton North, 3:30

Glenbard North vs. St. Laurence, 5:00

Lake Forest vs. Timothy Christian, 10:00

Waubonsie Valley vs. Conant, 10:30

Naperville North vs. Yorkville, 1:00

St. Patrick vs. York, 1:30

Riverside-Brookfield vs. Palatine, 6:00

Glenbrook South vs. Lemont, 7:30

St. Ignatius vs. Lyons, 6:30

Rolling Meadows vs. Bolingbrook, 8:00

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Bears fans want an elite wide receiver

Chicago Bears fans are suffering through a tough season. The Bears are 3-12 heading into Week 17. One bright spot for the team this season has been the offense. Second-year quarterback Justin Fields has made significant progress. But he needs his healthy wide receivers to step up his passing game, as his current crop drops a lot of passes and run poor routes. Fans think Davante Adams might be a fit after shocking news came out on the Las Vegas Raiders Wednesday.

The Raiders are benching Derek Carr for their last two games and starting Jarrett Stidham in his place. Analysts believe Carr will not be back for the Raiders at quarterback next season. The Raiders could bring in another quarterback, or they could look to trade Adams, who doesn’t seem happy about his future prospects in Las Vegas. It’s speculated the Raiders will try and trade Adams this offseason. We’ll see if that happens; Adams chose the Raiders to be near family.

Adams would fit on the Bears

Adams coming to Chicago would be a godsend. The Bears could have a pass-catching scheme that includes Adams, Chase Claypool, Darnell Mooney, and Cole Kmet. Sort of a lite-Kansas City Chiefs-esque group when Tyreek Hill was helping put the team in Super Bowls. Bears fans on Twitter seem excited about the prospect. Here are the best takes on Twitter about Adams being possibly traded to Chicago.

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The Sun-Times’ experts offer their picks for the Bears’ game Sunday at the Lions:

RICK MORRISSEY

Lions, 31-27

The Lions’ playoff hopes are dangling by a thread. At 7-8, they need this game. The Bears need the season to be over so they can get down to the business of getting better players into their locker room. But they still have Justin Fields, who will enjoy a domed stadium that has sure footing. Season: 11-4.

RICK TELANDER

Lions, 26-18

You want to win games, but then you don’t–not when you’re in a race to the bottom with the terrible Texans. The prize of course is finishing last, or first. The draft is all — 3-14 could be a winner. Season: 9-6.

LAURENCE HOLMES

Lions, 34-30

Dan Campbell and his Lions are desperate. They need a a playoff berth to vindicate their struggles over the last two seasons. On top of that Jared Goff has played some of his best football this season. Amon-Ra St. Brown could have a field day if the Bears can’t sustain a pass rush. I love that this game will be played indoors. Expect a shootout. Pew-Pew!!! Season: 9-6.

PATRICK FINLEY

Lions, 40-38

Only one team has allowed more points than the Bears’ 393: the Lions, who have given up 401. The slit-film turf at Ford Field is more a threat to Fields than the Lions defense. Be careful, Justin: that’s the surface that the NFLPA considers the most dangerous. Season: 8-7.

JASON LIESER

Bears, 29-26

The Bears should’ve beaten the Lions when they met at Soldier Field last month and, while they’re certainly outmanned again, this is a winnable game for a team with a lot of pent up frustration. It hurts their draft pick, but the players aren’t thinking about that. Season: 8-7.

MARK POTASH

Lions, 30-27

In more comfortable working conditions at Ford Field, even a short-handed Bears offense will produce against the Lions’ 32nd-ranked defense. But with their defense vs. the Lions’ fourth-ranked offense, the Bears will have to play keep away to pull off the upset. Season: 9-6.

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