After everything, the Bears just want to get back to football.
"First I want to thank the fans for their patience," Bears Chairman George McCaskey told reporters at Halas Hall on Tuesday. "This has been a long and difficult process."
McCaskey said he's happy to have the lockout behind the team to move on with what fans care about most. "We've very much looking forward to getting back to football," he said.
Player rep Robbie Gould echoed that sentiment, saying not just the players but the owners want to get back to the field.
"My hat goes off to everyone involved in the negotiations," Gould said. "The players and the owners included wanted a fair deal and didn't want to miss any games."
Gould said the players now must recertify as a union so they can negotiate in good faith benefits packages and the rest of the collective bargaining agreement. It likely will take the first couple days of training camp to recertify, but Gould says it's all formalities at this point because the deal is done.
"I think to be honest with you the whole deal was a win-win for everyone," Gould said. "If the owners didn't feel that way, if the players didn't feel that way, we wouldn't be here today."
