The Chicago Bears have said they’re prioritizing their due diligence on stadium sites in Indiana, but the NFL commissioner says Illinois is definitely not out of the running.
During an availability with reporters at the owners meetings this week, Commissioner Roger Goodell said there is ‘no specific timetable’ on the Bears making a stadium decision, and that he wants the state of Illinois and suburban Arlington Heights to have the opportunity to ‘put their best foot forward’ in negotiations.
“There’s no specific timetable from my standpoint, other than we know that they are looking at the alternate groups, Indiana or Arlington Heights,” Goodell said, according to Jarrett Bell of USA Today. “We want to make sure that Arlington Heights and Illinois have an opportunity, as well as Indiana, to put their best foot forward.”
The Bears are doing diligence on two sites in northwest Indiana, both centered around Hammond near the state line. That move comes after the state of Indiana passed a bill that would dedicating financing for the project, using a series of increased taxes to help pave the way for a stadium in the state.
The state of Illinois meanwhile failed to pass legislation aimed at keeping the Bears in the Land of Lincoln during their spring session, and though there has been talk of a special session to address the issue, no such session has been called.
Still, Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker said he has spoken to Goodell recently about the project, and says he’s still committed to helping facilitate a deal to keep the team in the state.
“I have not had the sense that Commissioner Goodell has a dog in the hunt, or that he’s chosen one state or another or a place for the Bears,” he said, according to Ben Slazinski of Capitol News Illinois. “It’s been my job all along here to make sure that we have the best opportunity to keep the Bears in the state of Illinois.”
Goodell confirmed the conversation with Pritzker had taken place, according to reports.
“I’m involved in a lot of stadium efforts,” Goodell said. “It’s not unusual for me to be involved in conversations with either public officials or others. Or our staff. There are important decisions, not just for the communities but for teams and the NFL. So these are important things for us.”
Pritzker has said the state needs more input from the Bears on the exact specifics they want in a stadium bill, and that he’s open to working with the team to make that happen, so long as the state’s taxpayers are protected.
“My job is to do everything I can to get the legislature to take the two bills that they both passed… and make sure that becomes one bill that can be voted on and approved by the legislature, that (also) protects the taxpayers of the state of Illinois and keeps the Bears,” he said.
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