06/05/26 02:09:00
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06/05 14:07 CDT Bears say they are moving forward with Northwest Indiana
location for new stadium
Bears say they are moving forward with Northwest Indiana location for new
stadium
By JAY COHEN
AP Sports Writer
CHICAGO (AP) --- The Chicago Bears are looking to build a stadium in Northwest
Indiana after a proposal to provide financial incentives for the NFL team to
build its new home in Illinois stalled in the state legislature.
The Bears' board of directors voted Thursday to move forward with a stadium
development project in Hammond, Indiana. The team had been doing its due
diligence on a tract of land near Wolf Lake, but it said Friday that an exact
site had not been selected.
"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 Bears said
in a statement that the team attributed to Chairman George McCaskey and team
president Kevin Warren. "It will bring Chicagoland together and deliver new
opportunities to its residents and businesses."
Indiana Gov. Mike Braun welcomed the team's announcement. A committee in the
Indiana House of Representatives passed a bill in February that established a
Northwest Indiana Stadium Authority to finance, construct and lease a stadium.
"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," Braun said in a statement. "An NFL
franchise in Northwest Indiana will be an economic boost to the entire region
like we haven't seen before."
The Bears, a charter NFL franchise, have played in Illinois since the team's
founding in 1920 as the Decatur Staleys. They moved to Chicago in 1921 and
called Wrigley Field home before they started playing at Soldier Field in
September 1971.
The Bears' lease runs through 2033, but they can pay a fee to break the lease
early. Soldier Field is about 40 miles south of Halas Hall --- the team's
headquarters in Lake Forest, Illinois, --- and Hammond is about 20 miles south
of the team's lakefront stadium.
Matt Hill, a spokesperson for Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, said the governor
"remains open to a sensible solution that protects taxpayers."
"The Bears have built a storied legacy in Illinois for over 100 years but have
spent the last six years, and especially the last few months, shifting their
position on a stadium location," Hill said in a statement. "That has hindered
their progress. Today appears to be another instance of that after Illinois
leaders have been working with the Bears in good faith."
___
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