Death Of Virginia McCaskey Reportedly Causing A Crisis With Bears Ownership

Virginia McCaskey was never supposed to be the owner of the Chicago Bears. Even she admitted that. The plan has always been for her brother, George Halas Jr., to inherit the franchise from his father, George Halas, upon his death. However, things took a tragic turn when Halas Jr. died suddenly of a heart attack in December 1979. That forced an aging Halas to make the difficult decision to change his will, leaving the franchise in the hands of his daughter instead, despite knowing she hadn’t been at all prepared for it.

To her credit, Mrs. McCaskey ran the organization to the best of her ability for the next 40 years. While the Bears didn’t always have as much success as many fans would’ve liked, she didn’t do everything in her power to uphold her father’s vision. Now, her death at the age of 102 has created another succession crisis for the franchise. Many wonder if the McCaskey family will try to maintain control without her holding things together. Danny Ecker of Chicago Business reports that things could get complicated.

More than a few members of the younger generation wish to sell.

The McCaskey family has grown substantially, as the Bears laid out in their announcement of Virginia’s death. In addition to her nine living children, she is survived by 21 grandchildren, 40 great-grandchildren and four great-great-grandchildren. Some members of that disparate group are reportedly keen to sell the stakes they are due to inherit from Virginia, according to previous Crain’s reporting…

…Citing court records, a 2013 Chicago Tribune report found she directly owned a 19.7% stake in the team and controlled another 11.3% through McCaskey and Halas holding companies — all of which would likely be redistributed to her children upon her death. Each of her living children at the time owned a 3.8% stake, and Aon founder and prominent Chicago businessman Pat Ryan controlled the majority of a 19.7% stake. It’s unclear if or how those interests have changed since.

Virginia McCaskey maintained the status quo.

While she was never an overbearing owner by any means, she’d always made it clear there was no way the family would sell her father’s beloved team to anybody. However, some wondered if others in the family felt the same way. This confirms that there is anything but solidarity inside Halas Hall. George McCaskey has insisted he’d never entertain selling the team. However, that could be taken out of his hands if enough family members decide they want out. With his mother no longer there to overrule anybody, George may need to move quickly to avoid a cascade effect that could lead to significant changes.

Some wonder if he has the wherewithal to secure majority ownership. The NFL changed its rules to help longtime families maintain control of teams. Unfortunately, those families need to be on the same page for those rules to work in their favor. That clearly is not the case with the McCaskeys. History shows that family drama can often lead to sales. It happened in Denver after Pat Bowlen died. The Broncos were sold three years later. It happened with the Carolina Panthers, too, after Jerry Richardson passed. David Tepper took over within a year.

Virginia McCaskey dying always felt like the potential lighting of a fuse on a powder keg. We’re about to find out how big the explosion could be.