Intro:

Former Chicago Bears general manager Phil Emery reflects on his dismissal -- head coach Marc Trestman was also sacked -- after a second successive poor NFL season.

Script:

SOUNDBITE: (English) Former Chicago Bears general manager Phil Emery

"Well it's not the 90 degrees it was in Minnesota so it's a good day, right? I just wanted to take a moment to thank everybody in the Bears organisation; all the good staff here, all the fine coaches that I've had the opportunity to work with in the past and the present and all of our players that I've had the good fortune to be associated with during my time here. I also want to say a public thank you to the McCaskey family, our ownership group and to Ted Phillips. Your support, your patience and your kindness have been incredible. No employee could ask for more. This job was the opportunity of a lifetime. My only regret is that we didn't win enough games for that opportunity to continue. Thank you to all the Bears fans that have reached out to me the last three years, who have stopped to say hello, who have extended their hand in friendship and who I've had the opportunity to have a conversation with. Your kindness does a lot more for the soul than people can imagine. To borrow a lyric or a line from Carrie Newcomer; 'We stand breathless on the clean edge of change.' So it's time to change and to move forward. Go Bears! Thanks for your time."