NFL, Chicago Bears continue stadium talks with Illinois lawmakers ahead of veto session

The Chicago Bears’ stadium saga continued this week, as the franchise met with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and Illinois lawmakers to discuss a new stadium in Illinois as Illinois lawmakers’ fall veto session approaches.

What they’re saying:

The Bears remain committed to working with the state of Indiana to advance plans in Northwest Indiana. They made as much clear in a statement on Friday.

“The Chicago Bears remain committed to building a world-class stadium and mixed-use district for our fans, the Chicagoland community and the team,” the Bears said in a statement. “We continue to work collaboratively with local and state leaders in Indiana to advance our stadium development plans in Hammond, where we are finalizing due diligence details across two sites in the Wolf Lake area.”

However, the Bears, NFL and Illinois lawmakers have met this week, according to ESPN and NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. This is the second time since August about a stadium in Illinois, either in Chicago or in the suburbs.

In August, minority owner Pat Ryan was involved in the meetings. This week, Bears chairman George McCaskey and CEO Kevin Warren met with Goodell and Illinois lawmakers. This continues the ongoing adventure that’s close to becoming a six-year saga with plenty of pivots and turns.

“We appreciate the recent engagement from Illinois leadership to explore legislation which has allowed us to share our feedback,” the Bears said in a written statement.

The other side:

While Illinois, the Bears and the NFL had another meeting, Indiana, the state where the Bears had shifted their focus to in June and the one state legislation which has put a deal on the table for the Bears to consider, remains waiting.

“Indiana has assembled an excellent deal to build a world-class stadium in Hammond, Indiana,” Indiana Gov. Mike Braun said in a written statement. “All negotiations have been done in good faith and to ensure that Hoosier taxpayers are protected.”

Gov. Braun did publicly encourage the Bears to make their decision in Indiana, saying the state may shift its focus elsewhere.

“We encourage the Chicago Bears to fully commit to a stadium in Indiana because it is nearly time for the state to shift its energy and resources to the next opportunity,” Braun said in a statement.

What’s next:

These meetings come ahead of the Illinois fall veto session, which begins on Nov. 17.

This legislative session will focus on crafting a bill to present to the Bears, which would keep them in Illinois. 

“It’s part of a continuing endeavor to try to make sure we’ve got legislation ready to go for the veto session,” Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker said on Friday. “We want to make sure the legislation is ready for people to look at.”

ritzker was in Hyde Park on Friday, and discussed a potential timeline for a bill for the first time.

According to Pritzker, the meeting finalized Stadium Authority legislation. This will have it ready for the start of the fall veto session, with a plan to hold hearings when the session opens in November. He also said a potential vote would come the first week of December.

“We expect productive dialogue with both leadership teams in the coming weeks,” the Bears said in a statement. “We have a responsibility and obligation to explore every option available to the club, and we look forward to developing a transformational project that will attract global events and deliver jobs and economic growth to all of Chicagoland.” 

BearsSports