The Chicago Bears are refuting press reports that the team is reconsidering its decision to leave its hometown.
In recent days, news stories were published that Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson has been making a renewed push not to lose the team. WGN reported attorneys for the team and the city held talks to discuss the possibility of new stadium to be built along the lakefront.
However, the team issued a statement insisting that their future was not going to be in the city but instead would be in either a new stadium in suburban Arlington Heights or across the state line in Hammond, Indiana, which is a 20-minute drive from Chicago.
“The Chicago Bears have exhausted every opportunity to stay in Chicago, which was our initial goal,” said the team in a statement. “There is not a viable site in the city. As a result, the only sites under consideration are in Arlington Heights and Hammond.”
The Illinois legislature is facing a May 31 deadline to pass legislation that would provide the Bears with property tax relief on a stadium in Arlington Heights. Indiana’s legislature has already passed legislation enabling the creation of a sports authority that would coordinate the construction of a stadium for the team.
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