Bears President Ted Phillips to retire at end of season

By ANDREW SELIGMAN
AP Sports Writer

The Chicago Bears say President and CEO Ted Phillips will retire at the end of the season after nearly 40 years with the franchise. Phillips, an accountant by trade, joined the Bears as the team’s controller in 1983 and spent four years in that position before moving up the organization’s ladder. He became president in February 1999 and has had a hand since then in hiring four general managers, including Ryan Poles this year. Most recently, his focus has been on purchasing a 326-acre tract of land in suburban Arlington Heights, Illinois, where a new stadium and entertainment complex could be built.