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The Chicago Bears relieved general manager Jerry Angelo of his duties on Tuesday, the team announced.
The Bears released a statement saying that CEO Ted Phillips informed Angelo of his decision. The team also announced via their website that Lovie Smith will remain as coach. A news conference is scheduled for 5 p.m. ET.
Angelo just finished his 11th year as the Bears GM, a season in which the team started 7-3 before injuries to three offensive starters, including quarterback Jay Cutler and running back Matt Forte, decimated the roster and led to a tailspin that resulted in a five-game losing streak.
In all, the Bears finished the season with seven starters on injured reserve, including five on offense, as Angelo came under fire for the front office's inability to populate the roster with capable backups.
The arrest of receiver Sam Hurd on federal drug charges in the midst of the losing streak worsened the situation by embarrassing the organization, according to multiple sources, while also calling into question the team's evaluation process and background checks.
"When we do our homework on players, we have a very sound and tested methodology that we go about researching all players from college to veteran free agents, and it starts in college," Angelo said during a testy exchange the day the team finally cut Hurd. "We spend an inordinate amount of time on character, making sure we know the player as well as we can.
"But no system is foolproof. For me to sit here and say we should have known something that we didn't know, no, I can't say that in this case. There are no facts. There's no flags that anybody could present tangibly to say that we should've known otherwise."
Angelo also drew criticism for his handling of Forte's contract situation by offering a deal toward the end of the preseason -- worth between $13 million and $14 million guaranteed -- that the running back found unsuitable.
Reports surfaced in December saying that Angelo was considering retirement, but the GM downplayed the talk, stressing that he wanted to take the Bears to another Super Bowl.
"I've heard a lot of things worse. I think when you get to a point in your career, the thought's always going to come up. I've been in the league a long time. I enjoy what I do very much and I work with a great organization, great people. I still want to make a run at this," Angelo said. "That would be a good question [coming off a Super Bowl]. I'd like for that situation to happen. My goal right now is to win a championship. That's what I'm focused on."
George McCaskey took over as chairman of the team's board of directors in May, and the general consensus toward the end of the season was that he'd shake things up and possibly change how the team approached player acquisition, according to multiple sources. Surely, members of the organization didn't expect Angelo's dismissal, considering he is under contract until 2013.
With Angelo in charge of personnel since 2001, the Bears won three division titles and advanced to Super Bowl XLI, where they lost to the Colts, in addition to hosting the NFC title game a year ago, in which the team lost 21-14 to the Packers, with Cutler missing the majority of the second half because of a knee injury.
Over the last four seasons, Angelo extended the contracts of Cutler, Lance Briggs, Robbie Gould, Devin Hester, Brian Urlacher and Earl Bennett. Over the last six seasons, players drafted by Angelo received 16 Pro Bowl selections, including first timers Forte and Corey Graham in 2011.
Source: AP
The Bears released a statement saying that CEO Ted Phillips informed Angelo of his decision. The team also announced via their website that Lovie Smith will remain as coach. A news conference is scheduled for 5 p.m. ET.
Angelo just finished his 11th year as the Bears GM, a season in which the team started 7-3 before injuries to three offensive starters, including quarterback Jay Cutler and running back Matt Forte, decimated the roster and led to a tailspin that resulted in a five-game losing streak.
In all, the Bears finished the season with seven starters on injured reserve, including five on offense, as Angelo came under fire for the front office's inability to populate the roster with capable backups.
The arrest of receiver Sam Hurd on federal drug charges in the midst of the losing streak worsened the situation by embarrassing the organization, according to multiple sources, while also calling into question the team's evaluation process and background checks.
"When we do our homework on players, we have a very sound and tested methodology that we go about researching all players from college to veteran free agents, and it starts in college," Angelo said during a testy exchange the day the team finally cut Hurd. "We spend an inordinate amount of time on character, making sure we know the player as well as we can.
"But no system is foolproof. For me to sit here and say we should have known something that we didn't know, no, I can't say that in this case. There are no facts. There's no flags that anybody could present tangibly to say that we should've known otherwise."
Angelo also drew criticism for his handling of Forte's contract situation by offering a deal toward the end of the preseason -- worth between $13 million and $14 million guaranteed -- that the running back found unsuitable.
Reports surfaced in December saying that Angelo was considering retirement, but the GM downplayed the talk, stressing that he wanted to take the Bears to another Super Bowl.
"I've heard a lot of things worse. I think when you get to a point in your career, the thought's always going to come up. I've been in the league a long time. I enjoy what I do very much and I work with a great organization, great people. I still want to make a run at this," Angelo said. "That would be a good question [coming off a Super Bowl]. I'd like for that situation to happen. My goal right now is to win a championship. That's what I'm focused on."
George McCaskey took over as chairman of the team's board of directors in May, and the general consensus toward the end of the season was that he'd shake things up and possibly change how the team approached player acquisition, according to multiple sources. Surely, members of the organization didn't expect Angelo's dismissal, considering he is under contract until 2013.
With Angelo in charge of personnel since 2001, the Bears won three division titles and advanced to Super Bowl XLI, where they lost to the Colts, in addition to hosting the NFC title game a year ago, in which the team lost 21-14 to the Packers, with Cutler missing the majority of the second half because of a knee injury.
Over the last four seasons, Angelo extended the contracts of Cutler, Lance Briggs, Robbie Gould, Devin Hester, Brian Urlacher and Earl Bennett. Over the last six seasons, players drafted by Angelo received 16 Pro Bowl selections, including first timers Forte and Corey Graham in 2011.
Source: AP