Louis Rams’ vice president of football administration. Warren once served as an NFL player agent and holds a Super Bowl ring as the St. If he joined the Bears, Warren would instantly become the most qualified individual in the organization to lead the team’s stadium project.
That last point is notable, because the Bears’ development plans around their proposed new stadium in Arlington Heights includes an extensive real estate development. Warren also played the same role in building the team’s outstanding practice facility in Eagan, Minnesota, which includes a real estate development called Viking Lakes. Furthermore, he also was involved in the design and construction of the stadium. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, which is now one of the NFL’s crown jewel facilities. Before joining the Big Ten, Warren was the Vikings’ chief operating officer and handled the business, legal and operational aspects of building U.S. In a statement provided to CHGO, the Bears said: “We have not set a timeline for announcing Ted Phillips’ successor. Our search team has cast a wide net, spoken to many outstanding candidates and looks forward to introducing our next President and CEO at the process’s conclusion.” Why would Warren be an ideal candidate for the Bears? Thamel also indicated that the process is expected to wrap up in the coming weeks, which would make sense if the Bears want to create a transition period. ESPN’s Pete Thamel reported Thursday that Warren has interviewed for the job in person and is considered a finalist. Not surprisingly, Warren has emerged as a top candidate for the Chicago Bears’ president and CEO position, which will become vacant when Ted Phillips retires at the end of February. Ever since, Warren’s fit in the Big Ten has been fairly questioned, and some have wondered if he would eventually return to the NFL, where he spent 21 years, including 15 with the Minnesota Vikings.Īnd that leads us to today. But even today, there is an understandable sentiment that Warren’s NFL background and lack of familiarity with Big Ten power brokers contributed to some of the confusion and friction across the conference during 2020. In Warren’s defense, when the Big Ten’s presidents and chancellors approved his hire in 2019, no one could have foreseen the COVID-19 pandemic on the horizon. We’ll never know if Phillips, or even former Big Ten commissioner Jim Delany, would have handled the 2020 season better than Warren. Phillips was instead getting ready to leave his hometown of Chicago and move to Charlotte to become the ACC commissioner. Also on the field that day: then-Northwestern AD Jim Phillips, who many across the conference thought should have been hired as the Big Ten commissioner instead of Warren. When the dust settled, Fields, Day, Fitzgerald and Warren all ended up on the same field in Indianapolis for the Big Ten Championship Game. It all culminated in an eight-game regular season that included many canceled games, including the annual Ohio State-Michigan matchup. Behind the scenes, Day and Fitzgerald were instrumental in hatching a plan for an abbreviated season that included rigorous COVID testing and support from medical professionals. Almost immediately, then-Buckeyes quarterback Justin Fields started a public petition signed by players across the conference, urging the Big Ten to reconsider. Months earlier, Warren had postponed the Big Ten football season due to the COVID-19 pandemic. On the other was Northwestern head coach Pat Fitzgerald. On one sideline was Ohio State head coach Ryan Day. The scene at the 2020 Big Ten Championship Game could be described as awkward at best.Ĭonference commissioner Kevin Warren was walking across the field at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.
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