Bears PR Dir Bryan Harlan resigned on Friday "after the
team learned he had come under federal investigation for his
alleged dealings with a mob-connected bookie," according to
Mark Brown in a front-page report in the CHICAGO SUN-TIMES.
Sources said that Harlan, a 16-year employee of the team, is
suspected of placing bets on NFL games, including Bears
games. Brown reported that "at least two other former Bears
employees also allegedly made wagers with the bookmaker,
whose activities are at the center of the federal probe."
Betting on NFL games "by players or team employees is flatly
prohibited by league policy." NFL VP/Communications Greg
Aiello, when asked about the Harlan situation, said, "We are
not in a position to respond to your questions." Harlan's
dealings with the bookmaker "spanned more than a year," and
his "alleged involvement in a gambling scandal could be
especially sensitive to the NFL, both because of his
position of trust" with the Bears and because his father is
Packers President Bob Harlan (CHICAGO SUN-TIMES, 7/16). On
Friday, the Bears issued a press release announcing that
Harlan had resigned to take a position with Chicago-based PR
firm Kendrick Communications. The release included a quote
from Bears President & CEO Ted Phillips, calling Harlan a
"very dedicated and reliable employee." The release did not
make any mention of the gambling investigation and announced
that Assistant Dir of PR Scott Hagel was promoted to fill
Harlan's post (THE DAILY). In Chicago, Mullin & Pierson
report that Harlan "left the Bears with no apparent ill will
in his wake." Team sources said when he left, he "exchanged
goodbyes and hugs with various employees, including members
of senior management" (CHICAGO TRIBUNE, 7/17).
MARIOTTI QUESTIONS TEAM'S RESPONSE: In Chicago, Jay
Mariotti calls the Harlan gambling probe "another
devastating blow to the once-noble and now-turbulent image
of Halas Hall." Mariotti states that Phillips "attempted an
amateurish gloss-over" to the situation "that doesn't begin
to grasp the consequences of a gambling investigation."
Mariotti criticizes the team's press release on Friday and
writes, "If Harlan's departure is related to a gambling
probe, it is the team's president's responsibility to clear
the air immediately and assure ticket-buying customers that
the organization is committed to a clean, conscientious
operation" (CHICAGO SUN-TIMES, 7/17).
