Bears Say They Will Proceed with Stadium in Hammond, Indiana
Bears owner George McCaskey (L) shakes hands with new Bears President Kevin Warren after Warren is introduced as team President in 2023. (Photo: Chicago Tribune)
The Chicago Bears said in a statement Friday morning the team is moving forward with plans to build a stadium in Hammond, Indiana, though they cautioned no final site has been selected.
The move comes just four days after Illinois lawmakers failed to advance legislation aimed at keeping the Bears in Illinois, either through property tax breaks or a new municipal stadium authority.
“We believe a world-class stadium project in Hammond will transform the region, connecting Northwest Indiana to the South Side of Chicago through the Loop and across neighborhoods and suburbs stretching north of the city,” the statement from Bears owner George McCaskey and team President Kevin Warren said. “It will bring Chicagoland together and deliver new opportunities to its residents and businesses.”
The Bears are moving forward with Indiana after lawmakers in that state passed a package to give the team $1 billion to help build the new stadium near Lake Michigan, steelyards, and the BP refinery in Whiting. The package would, eventually, give control of the stadium to the team.
Indiana officials began the victory lap Friday.
“We look forward to building a partnership as strong as the ‘85 Bears defense, creating opportunities and economic growth that will benefit our state and the Bears organization for decades to come,” Indiana Governor Mike Braun said in statement. “An NFL franchise in Northwest Indiana will be an economic boost to the entire region like we haven’t seen before.”
But Illinois leaders don’t seem to think the door is closed on the state yet.
“In April, the House passed an economic development package that was the product of extensive negotiation with the Bears and other stakeholders. That bipartisan legislation reflected our belief that we can incentivize statewide development and provide property tax relief for working people,” House Speaker Chris Welch said in a statement. “Illinois remains open to ongoing efforts to secure the Bears in Illinois. However, it will take time to get it right.”
A statement from Pritzker’s office, though notably not attributable to Pritzker himself, said Friday the Bears changing position on a stadium location has “hindered their progress.”
“Today appears to be another instance of that after Illinois leaders have been working with the Bears in good faith,” the statement read. “Governor Pritzker has always been clear that he wants the Bears to stay in Illinois and still remains open to a sensible solution that protects taxpayers.”
Some statehouse insiders, meanwhile, believe the blame is beginning to focus on Pritzker.
“For something this big to get passed, a governor has to be engaged. He has to make it happen,” said a longtime statehouse source. “Governor Pritzker wasn’t engaged on this.”
In a statement, a spokesman for Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson said “this vote does not mean a move to Hammond is a done deal.”
“Without a final site selection, until we see shovels in the ground in Hammond, the city will continue to engage in discussions grounded in the interests of our residents,” the statement said.
In a statement, Senate President Don Harmon said he doesn’t believe the conversation about the final site location is over.
“We are ready and willing to re-engage with the Chicago Bears when they realize Illinois will always be the best place for them,” Harmon said in a statement.
Sen. Bill Cunningham (D-Chicago), the sponsor of Bears legislation in the Senate, tells The Illinoize that Warren called him this morning to tell him the Bears were moving forward with Hammond.
He said Warren “said he looks forward to talking with me further.”
Cunningham said the Bears statement is fundamentally the same as the statement they released in February after Indiana passed its incentive bill, when the team said it was “committed to finishing the remaining site-specific necessary due diligence to support our vision to build a world-class stadium near the Wolf Lake area in Hammond, Indiana.”
