00:00Bears edge closer to move for new stadium in northwest Indiana, Chicago. The Bears took a
00:05significant step toward leaving Illinois on Friday. The Bears board of directors voted Thursday to
00:11advance their stadium development in Hammond, Indiana, with the exact site still to be determined.
00:17This is this first time that the Bears board has voted on any stadium site. The Bears plans to leave
00:23the state they've called home since their inception for Indiana come just days after the end of
00:28Illinois' spring legislative session. We believe a world-class stadium project in Hammond will
00:33transform the region, connecting northwest Indiana and the south side of Chicago through the loop
00:38and across the neighborhoods and suburbs stretching north of the city, Bears chairman George H.,
00:44McCaskey, and CEO Kevin Warren said in a statement. The Bears announcement Friday does not guarantee
00:49the team will leave Illinois. Per a league source, while Indiana is in the lead to lure the Bears
00:55across state lines to build a domed stadium, Illinois can still get back in the race. Matt
01:01Hill, spokesperson for Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker, said constant shifting by the Bears has
01:07hindered progress toward a stadium deal. The Bears have built a storied legacy in Illinois for over 100
01:13years, but have spent the last six years, and especially the last few months, shifting their
01:18position on a stadium location. That has hindered their progress, Hill said in a statement. Today appears
01:24to be another instance of that after Illinois leaders have been working with the Bears in good
01:29faith. Governor Pritzker has always been clear that he wants the Bears to stay in Illinois and still
01:34remains open to a sensible solution that protects taxpayers. NFL spokesperson Brian McCarthy told ESPN
01:41the club has kept the stadium committee and league office apprised of all developments. After the
01:47megaprojects bill, a proposal that would have allowed the Bears to negotiate payments in lieu of paying
01:52property taxes on the Arlington Heights, Illinois, property they currently own, died in the Illinois
01:59Senate last weekend. A late push was made with alternative legislation. At 11 p.m. Sunday, Illinois
02:06State Senator Bill Cunningham, de Chicago, introduced new legislation that would allow Cook County cities
02:12with more than 70,000 residents, such as Arlington Heights in Chicago, to create their own sports stadium
02:18authority. The Bears would pay for the construction of the new stadium, which the franchise has dedicated
02:24$2 billion in funding toward, and the land would be publicly owned. The new bill passed the Illinois
02:30Senate 37 to 17 at 3.39 a.m. Monday. The House adjourned after 4.30 a.m. without taking
02:37a vote.
02:38The Bears currently own a 326-acre property on the former site of the Arlington International Racecourse,
02:45which the team purchased in 2021. The team has maintained that it cannot build a stadium
02:50without property tax certainty, which Indiana passed legislation to ensure in February,
02:56when lawmakers in the state houseways and means committee unanimously approved an amendment
03:00to Indiana Senate Bill 27 by a vote of 24-0 to create the Northwest Indiana Stadium Authority
03:07with the power to issue bonds, acquire land, and finance construction. The state offered the Bears up to
03:14$1 billion in incentives to relocate to the site in Hammond. Despite the lack of finality to the
03:20potential move, Indiana Governor Mike Braun issued a statement Friday welcoming the Bears to the great
03:25state of Indiana. We look forward to building a partnership as strong as the 85 Bears defense,
03:32creating opportunities and economic growth that will benefit our state and the Bears organization for
03:37decades to come. A portion of bronze statement read. An NFL franchise in Northwest Indiana will be an
03:44economic boost to the entire region like we haven't seen before. The Bears' current lease at Soldier Field,
03:51the stadium where they play, but which is owned by the city of Chicago, runs through 2033.
Comments