Former Bears' head coach Matt Eberflus issued a statement on Saturday, one day after it was announced that the team was relieving him from his position. In a statement obtained by CBS Sports, Eberflus expressed his gratitude for the opportunity to work with the team:"I want to thank the McCaskey family and Ryan Poles for the opportunity to be the head coach of the Chicago Bears.

Former Chicago Bears head coach Matt Eberflus issued a statement Saturday after his historic firing, which came on the heels of a gut-wrenching 23-20 loss on Thanksgiving Day to the NFC-best Detroit Lions.

The Chicago Bears fired Matt Eberflus on Friday, making an in-season coaching change for the first time in franchise history less than 24 hours after a three-point loss to the Detroit Lions in which Eberflus was widely criticized for his clock management.