Chicago Bears head coach Matt Eberflus was fired midway through the season for the first time in over 100 years

The Chicago Bears made franchise history by firing head coach Matt Eberflus.

The organization announced that the 54-year-old was relieved of his head coaching duties on Friday, November 29 – just hours after Eberflus told reporters he was “confident” that he would remain with the team until the game against him The San Francisco 49ers will remain loyal on December 8th, according to the NFL.

The decision marks the first time in more than 100 years that the Bears have fired a head coach midseason.

In a statement, Bears general manager Ryan Poles said Eberflus was informed this morning of the team’s “decision to move in a different direction with the leadership of our football team and the head coaching position.”

“I would like to thank Matt for his hard work, professionalism and commitment to our organization. We thank him for his commitment to the Chicago Bears and wish him and his family all the best for the future,” Poles’ statement read.

Bears offensive coordinator Thomas Brown will replace Eberflus as interim coach, according to the organization’s announcement.

Bears president and CEO Kevin Warren expressed support for the move in a statement, saying the team’s fans “deserve better results.”

Eberflus’ firing came after the Bears lost narrowly (20-23) to the Detroit Lions on November 28 – a loss that was even more frustrating for fans because time expired while the Bears still had a timeout , which Eberflus did not use. The loss followed the team’s equally frustrating performance against the Green Bay Packers on November 17th and a narrow overtime loss to the Minnesota Vikings on November 24th.

The firing is all the more notable because it was announced shortly after Eberflus reiterated his confidence in his position during a Zoom call with reporters Friday morning.

“I’m just going to work on finishing this game and evaluating this, our post-game report, like we always do,” he said, according to the NFL. “And then I’m going to work in San Francisco. Those are conversations we’ll have as well, and I’m confident again that I’ll continue to work after San Francisco and prepare for this game.”

Bears fans were overjoyed when they heard the news that Eberflus had been fired. He leaves the role with a 14-32 record but will likely be best known for his final 30 seconds with the Bears.

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During Fox’s post-game show, Jimmy Johnson said the Bears’ “dysfunction” during the final 32 seconds of Thursday’s game was something he “never experienced” in “70 years of coaching at all three levels” of football “I saw”. Commentators Terry Bradshaw, Michael Strahan, Howie Long and Curt Menefee were also shocked by Eberflus’ mismanagement.

“They’ve lost six games in a row every week now in a weirder way,” Menefee said of the Bears.