Chicago Bears President and CEO Kevin Warren responded to NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell’s call to announce the location of their new domed stadium “sooner rather than later” by giving a vague projected timeline for when a final decision will be made.
ESPN reports Warren spoke at yesterday’s NFL league meeting and pledged to make a final decision in the next few months.
“We’re in an excellent position,” Warren said. “I recently said that the target is to make sure that we have a decision made by springtime here soon. Late spring, early summer would be that from a target.”
The Bears are seeking to leave Soldier Field, their home since 1971, and have two potential choices for a new home. One is in the Chicago suburb of Arlington Heights, where the team owns 326 acres of land. However, the Bears and Illinois lawmakers have yet to reach an agreement regarding property taxes on a new stadium. The Illinois legislature session ends May 31, but no bill has been introduced to address the matter.
The Bears’ second choice is across the state line in Hammond, Indiana, which is roughly a half-hour drive from Chicago. Indiana lawmakers have already approved the creation of a new authority that would coordinate a public-private partnership for the creation of a new domed stadium.
Bears Chairman George H. McCaskey stated that he was working with officials in both states, adding the team was “comfortable with either site.” But McCaskey also noted there is precedent for a team to keep its identity in one state while playing in another.
“I don’t think in the end it’s going to matter to people,” McCaskey said. “Back in 1976, the New York Football Giants went across state lines to New Jersey. They have been there ever since. The Jets joined them shortly thereafter. And then 35 years later, both teams had an opportunity to reevaluate their situations and recommitted to New Jersey. And somehow the Republic has survived.”
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