Less than 24 hours after a disappointing 5-11 season ended, the Chicago Bears saw a drastic shakeup in personnel, first firing coach Marc Trestman and GM Phil Emery. However, shortly after those firings were announced, the Bears released an official statement with their most drastic off-season dismissal yet: the firing of longtime mascot Staley Da Bear.
Sources say that Staley, who has been the mascot for the team since 2003, has failed to live up to expectations, with only one Super Bowl appearance and no titles during his tenure.
“After this past season, we felt like we had to shake things up,” said a team official. “Our coaches, general manager, and yes, our mascot Staley Da Bear were all part of the problem, and they had to go. It was hard to part ways with Staley, who has been such a central part of the organization the last 11 years, but sometimes you have to make the difficult decisions if you want to move forward as a team.”
At this time, there is no frontrunner to replace Staley as the team’s mascot, though it is expected that Touché and Blitz, the mascots of the Montreal Alouettes, are both in the running.
