Bears’ 'sole focus' on Hammond with no site chosen

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(The Center Square) – Chicago Bears officials say they are moving forward with stadium development plans in Indiana, but the door is not closed on Illinois or even Chicago.

Bears Chairman George McCaskey and team President and CEO Kevin Warren held a news conference at Halas Hall in Lake Forest on Thursday.

Warren did not rule out the possibility of the Bears staying in the state they have called home since 1920.

“But even though we’ve had occasional meetings with the state of Illinois, our sole focus at this point in time is working on a world-class stadium and mixed-use development in Hammond, Indiana,” Warren said.

Earlier on Thursday, Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker spoke at the Illinois State Fair in Springfield and said both chambers of the state legislature passed stadium bills.

“There was no compromise reached between the two bills, but the Bears themselves have to figure out which ones of the parts of those bills they want in a final bill and, of course, to gather support from the legislature,” the governor said.

Pritzker reiterated that he wants to protect the fans and the taxpayers of Illinois, but he also said talks have continued.

“We’re working hard to make sure that there’s an opportunity for the Bears to stay in the state of Illinois, whether it’s in Chicago or Arlington Heights,” Pritzker said.

When asked in May about Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson’s insistence that the team stay in the city, Pritzker said “the mayor has no plan” and the Bears had only stated two options, Indiana and the team-owned site in Arlington Heights.

When asked if Chicago is back on the table, Warren said the team’s focus is on Hammond.

“We don’t have any legislation in Illinois. We don’t have a deal with Illinois, so it wouldn’t be fair for me to answer a hypothetical question like that,” Warren said.

The Bears have not settled on a specific site in Hammond.

Warren said the Lost Marsh site in Hammond is viable, but the team is also looking at the Wolf Lake Terminals site. Warren suggested that the two sites could be merged for a stadium and mixed-use development.

McCaskey said the team would still be called the Chicago Bears, even if they move to Indiana.

The Bears are scheduled to open the preseason Saturday afternoon against the Cleveland Browns at Soldier Field in Chicago.

Sean Reed contributed to this story