AllThatsNews . . . "It seems that Ditka is now being punished for his honesty and for speaking out against the President because it was revealed that he is now being replaced as a panelist on ESPN's Sunday NFL Countdown. In 2013, Ditka said that not running against Obama in the Illinois 2004 Senate race was the "biggest mistake" he had ever made. Ditka said, "Not that I would have won. But I probably would have and he wouldn't be in the White House."
"At the time, Obama said that the NFL legend "immediately becomes a favorite" if he entered the race. In 2011, President Obama invited the 1985 Chicago Bears Team, which Ditka coached to a Super Bowl victory, to the White House. During the ceremony, Ditka presented Obama with a personalized Bears jersey and called him "one of us.' "