
The Chicago Bears brought on retired U.S. Army Lt. Col. Andy Riise last year as the team’s Mental Performance and Leadership Coordinator.
Although not a traditional Xs and Os football coach, Riise focuses on coaching Bears players and staff on the mental aspects of their performance, helping them excel both on and off the field.
This week, Riise appeared on Fox Sports insider Jay Glazer’s podcast, Unbreakable, where he discussed his unique role.
“I’m not a counselor or therapist in the traditional sense,” Riise explained to Glazer. “Think of me more as a strength coach for the brain. My job is to help athletes perform at their best and recover quickly when facing challenges on or off the field.”
The @chicagobears made big news this week when they hired their new head coach this week in Ben Johnson. But they also have had an innovative hire on staff that most don’t know about, a retired US Army Lt Colonel named Andy Riise, who serves as the Bears Mental Performance and… pic.twitter.com/4vnO6Fa4lA
— Jay Glazer (@JayGlazer) January 24, 2025
Riise emphasized the Bears’ holistic approach to mental health, which combines traditional therapy provided by clinicians with his focus on mental performance coaching.
According to his LinkedIn profile, Riise joined the Bears in February 2024 after serving 24 years in the U.S. Army, where he held various roles starting in 1996.
Before joining the NFL, he honed his skills as a mental performance coach in Major League Baseball, working with the Seattle Mariners, Colorado Rockies, and Cincinnati Reds.
The Chicago Tribune reported that during Caleb Williams‘ pre-draft visit to Halas Hall, Bears GM Ryan Poles made sure the young quarterback met with Riise as part of the experience.
“It’s deeper than game day. It’s deeper than training camp. There are so many things he has to be prepared for.”
Even as Ryan Poles did his pre-draft homework on Caleb Williams, he was engineering a plan he hopes can make Williams a star.
DEEP DIVE:https://t.co/d99QBV51UA
— Dan Wiederer (@danwiederer) July 28, 2024
This season, the Bears faced plenty of on-field moments that could test a player’s mental resilience, not to mention the personal challenges they may encounter off the field.
With Riise and a team of mental health professionals on staff, the organization is well-equipped to support players in achieving peak performance both mentally and physically.
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