Bears executives expected to address possible move to Northwest Indiana
When Indiana Gov. Mike Braun visited the northwestern part of the state to tour storm damage, he chuckled when reporters snuck in a question about the Chicago Bears' possible move to Hammond.
The topic is expected to come up again on Thursday, when Bears leadership is expected to speak at Halas Hall in Lake Forest, Illinois.
Braun said he speaks with Bears representatives twice a week, and added that a lot of things have happened quickly. However, he is not sure what Bears chief executive officer Kevin Warren and chairman George McCaskey will tell reporters on Thursday.
The CBS News Chicago sports team said it is not unusual for Warren and McCaskey to speak to the press ahead of the team's first preseason game, which is coming up on Saturday.
What is a bit unique is that Warren and McCaskey are not scheduled to take the podium at the same time.
It is also important to note that this will be the first time either Warren or McCaskey will be taking questions about the Bears board of directors' decision to advance a stadium development project in Hammond, Indiana.
In June, Bears leadership released a statement that read in part: "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."
Gov. Braun said since then, the Bears have been looking at additional acreage in Northwest Indiana.
"When we get this across the finish line — we're in the due diligence stage — it's going to be one of the biggest thing that's ever occurred in our state, not to mention the Region," Braun said. "So we're doing everything you need to do to make sure we get it done."
The Bears announced their intention to move to Northwest Indiana after the Illinois General Assembly failed to pass legislation supporting a Bears stadium project in Arlington Heights, where the team had been expected for years to build a new stadium.
The team made a bid for the property in 2021 before purchasing the former Arlington International Racecourse in February 2023 for $197 million.
Since then, the team floated a plan to build a new stadium on Chicago's lakefront, only later to back away from that plan and focus again on Arlington Heights — and then Northwest Indiana.
In February, Indiana lawmakers in the state House Ways and Means Committee unanimously approved an amendment to Indiana Senate Bill 27 that would pave the way for the Bears to move to Hammond. The proposal would commit up to $1 billion in public funding towards a stadium, and create a Northwest Indiana Stadium Authority with the power to issue bonds, acquire land, and finance construction.
While Indiana has agreed to help finance a Bears stadium, the team plans to commit $2 billion towards the construction of the facility.
So what is going on for the Bears Thursday besides the team getting a good workout? Will there be a rendering of the Hammond stadium, or more information about soil testing at Wolf Lake where the stadium might be built?
The answer will be coming later Thursday.
