After news broke early on Thursday afternoon that current Big Ten commissioner Kevin Warren is being considered as the next President and CEO of the Chicago Bears, the league released a statement in an apparent attempt to play down any Warren-to-Chicago chatter.

Warren reportedly was interviewed in person for the open position, but the league said that it was not necessarily a job interview.

“Over the course of three decades in professional and collegiate sports, Big Ten Commissioner Kevin Warren regularly receives unique opportunities and request for his expertise from leaders across a variety of industries ranging from professional sports ownership groups to private equity firms. The Commissioner utilizes each occurrence to listen, learn and assist every stakeholder in the most appropriate and effective manner,” the league said in a statement.

Further, the Big Ten sought to emphasize that Warren is locked in and focused on his current job overseeing the league.

“The Commissioner remains focused on the Big Ten Conference, its 14 member institutions and over 10,000 student-athletes in both regular season and postseason play,” the statement concludes.

Warren is reportedly a finalist for the Bears

Big Ten commissioner Kevin Warren is among the finalists to be the next president and CEO of the Chicago Bears, according to ESPN’s Pete Thamel. Warren took over as Big Ten commissioner in 2020 after longtime conference leader Jim Delaney retired.

Warren reportedly interviewed in person for the job, a reflection of how serious his candidacy for the position is. The hiring process is anticipated to conclude in the next week, according to Thamel.

Warren has NFL leadership experience on his resume, previously working as the chief operating officers for the Minnesota Vikings before taking the Big Ten job. He’s held various positions in NFL executive suites, working in the legal and business spheres for NFL teams.

Warren played an integral role in the Vikings constructing their new home arena, U.S. Bank Stadium, and the Bears are likely looking to hire a president and CEO who can navigate them to a new stadium in Arlington Heights, Illinois, as they look to leave Soldier Field behind.

As Big Ten commissioner, Warren faced an early onslaught with the Covid-19 pandemic and the rising tide of backlash for postponing the league football season while other power conferences had begun to play.

Despite that fraught beginning, Warren hung around and settled in to the gig leading the Big Ten during a time of shifting ground in college football — playoff expansion, NIL, and conference realignment have all changed the fabric of the sport in ways known and yet to be discovered..

On the latter of the trio, Warren took his biggest swing and made what would be his biggest mark on the Big Ten were he to take the Bears jobs, adding USC and UCLA to the league starting in 2024. It was a move that was equal parts stunning and sensible, bringing in two outsider programs to keep on par in the conference arms race with the SEC.

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Big Ten responds to report linking Kevin Warren to Chicago Bears job

Andrew Graham•about 1 hour

Article written by:Andrew Graham

AndrewEdGraham

After news broke early on Thursday afternoon that current Big Ten commissioner Kevin Warren is being considered as the next President and CEO of the Chicago Bears, the league released a statement in an apparent attempt to play down any Warren-to-Chicago chatter.

Warren reportedly was interviewed in person for the open position, but the league said that it was not necessarily a job interview.

“Over the course of three decades in professional and collegiate sports, Big Ten Commissioner Kevin Warren regularly receives unique opportunities and request for his expertise from leaders across a variety of industries ranging from professional sports ownership groups to private equity firms. The Commissioner utilizes each occurrence to listen, learn and assist every stakeholder in the most appropriate and effective manner,” the league said in a statement.

Further, the Big Ten sought to emphasize that Warren is locked in and focused on his current job overseeing the league.

“The Commissioner remains focused on the Big Ten Conference, its 14 member institutions and over 10,000 student-athletes in both regular season and postseason play,” the statement concludes.