During his wildly disappointing season-ending press conference, Chicago Bears Chairman George McCaskey was asked about a recent story shared by former Chicago Bears lineman Olin Kreutz, who says he was offered $15 an hour to come back and help be an O-line consultant back in 2018.
There were innumerable ways to address the question – say that it’s unacceptable and practices have changed; say you didn’t know about it until now and you’re looking into it; heck, just drop a no comment! – but McCaskey instead chose to effectively call Kreutz a liar:
George McCaskey on @olin_kreutz sharing story that #Bears offered him a $15-an-hour job in 2018:
"I've learned over the years to take anything Olin says with a grain of salt."
McCaskey added, "You don't get the whole story" with Kreutz.
— 670 The Score (@670TheScore) January 10, 2022
Kreutz, a long-time, very successful, and very popular former Bears player, understandably did not take kindly to the suggestion. He hit up The Score later in the day to respond. Not only did Kreutz say he’d reached out to members of the Bears organization to confirm that his story was true, he had words for McCaskey:
#Bears chairman George McCaskey called @olin_kreutz a liar.
Olin responded while on with @DannyParkins and @MattSpiegel670.
“If that man would’ve said that to my face, we would’ve had a problem," Kreutz says.
Listen to full segment: https://t.co/YiBxrRtKwo pic.twitter.com/GiKp3u8TBG
— 670 The Score (@670TheScore) January 10, 2022
"I'll tell you something… if a guy like George McCaskey doesn't like me, that's a win for me."@olin_kreutz is a whirling dervish at the moment with us on @670TheScore.https://t.co/T5GXWyYPga
— Shane Riordan (@shane_riordan) January 10, 2022
In what might seem like an otherwise minor exchange on a day that was so fraught with long-term implications, I think it’s worth pointing out, as Adam Hoge did, that this is a much wider-ranging issue:
I’ve heard from quite a few former players who aren’t happy with George McCaskey’s comments about @olin_kreutz. Given that there was already a growing divide between the organization and prominent #Bears alumni, today’s shot at Olin’s credibility didn’t help.
— Adam Hoge (@AdamHoge) January 10, 2022
The line is apparently drawn at players who do media.
McCaskey: “I’m probably more reluctant to seek feedback of former players who are on media outlets. I don’t want to have to put them in position of deciding what is a confidential conversation & what is OK to share on air.”
— Adam Hoge (@AdamHoge) January 10, 2022