This time of year after an NFL draft concludes, teams often shake up a scouting department. Guys either get promoted or move on. It happens every year. However, it isn’t easy to know if this is the case with Chris Prescott or not. The veteran evaluator has worked with the Chicago Bears for the past seven years, first as an area scout and then a national scout. With a new GM taking over in Ryan Poles, it wouldn’t have been a huge surprise to see him clear out the scouting department to bring in some of his own people.
It feels like this situation might be different. Last Friday, the Bears finally got in on the draft action with two picks in the 2nd round. After grabbing Washington cornerback Kyler Gordon at 39th overall, they struck again a few minutes later, selecting Penn State safety Jaquan Brisker. Prescott was on hand to speak with the media about why the Bears liked him and felt he was a fit for their reshaping roster.
Here was where things got somewhat cringe-worthy.
Bears National scout Chris Prescott on Jaquan Brisker: "He’s a – what would we call it? – Ph.D? Poor, hungry and desperate. Football is his life. This is this kid’s life. There’s a lot to like about that when you see a guy who’s so passionate about football."
— Courtney Cronin (@CourtneyRCronin) April 30, 2022
The point of the comment is easy to understand. Poles and head coach Matt Eberflus both said they want hungry players, players that love football. That is what Prescott was trying to convey. However, hearing a white man say that about a young black athlete doesn’t exactly come across as ideal. Especially with the racial tensions still prevalent in the league even to this day. Black athletes have fought for equal treatment for decades. Comments like this don’t help the stigma. Two days later, Prescott was out of a job.
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Chris Prescott, who helped the #Bears make two playoff appearances during his seven years with the team, is no longer a national scout in Chicago. Chris has also served w/the #Jets & #Jaguars since entering the league in '03.
— Neil Stratton (@InsideTheLeague) May 1, 2022
When we reduce black prospects’ stories of adversity to traits like 40 times, we reduce them as human beings.
Some thoughts on the comments from a Bears scout on Jaquan Brisker this weekend, and a problem that continues to persist in draft commentary: pic.twitter.com/zQSCVhp5L9
— Mina Kimes (@minakimes) May 2, 2022
The Chicago Bears have not spoken on the release. So it isn’t clear whether he was dismissed for the comments or was the first move in the restructuring of the scouting department. Either way, the team isn’t likely to miss him. Prescott joined the team in 2016 and assumed the role of northeast area scout. While he helped them select players like Tarik Cohen and Bilal Nichols, he also had a direct hand in the disastrous Mitch Trubisky, and Adam Shaheen picks in 2017.
Maybe Poles planned to get rid of him anyway, but the scout made that decision way easier with those comments.
