Feb 20, 2026
3 min read
Illinois Governor JB Pritzker said he was "deeply disappointed" in the Chicago Bears Thursday after the team released a statement praising the work done by Indiana...
Illinois Governor J.B.Pritzker said Thursday at a Chicago Bears game that he was "very disappointed" after the team released a statement praising the Indiana Legislature's work to lure the team to their state.
The Indiana Legislature plans to move forward with a bill that would encourage the Bears to build a new stadium in Hammond near Wolf Lake, but Pritzker said at a press conference Thursday that his team is expanding discussions with the Bears this week.
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In fact, the General Assembly of Revenue and Finance of Illinois was prepared to hold a hearing on the agreement to keep the team in the state, but the Bears requested that the meeting be canceled shortly before the announcement in Indiana, the commissioner said.
"A lot of progress has been made in the conversation with them. I am surprised, embarrassed, very disappointed by what I saw in the statement," he said.
Pritzker said his team met with the Bears for more than three hours Wednesday and is ready to pass a bill that would address some of the parameters of a deal between the two sides to build a stadium in Arlington Heights.
Instead, the Bruins asked them to postpone Thursday's hearing.
"We basically agreed that the bill would move forward this morning. They asked us not to move forward because they wanted to change some of the provisions of the bill," he said.
Pritzker went on to say that the Bears had not made a final decision to move to Indiana, and that he would wait for the team to continue the Illinois negotiations.
Still, a statement from the Bears on Thursday indicated they view the bill being considered by Indiana lawmakers as "the most significant advance in our stadium planning efforts to date" and look forward to working with Indiana lawmakers.
"We are committed to completing the remaining site-specific work to support our vision of building a world-class stadium near Wolf Lake in Hammond, Indiana. We appreciate the leadership shown by Governor Brown, Speaker Huston, Senator Mishler and members of the Indiana General Assembly. Fans and visitors come from all over the world. We value our partnership and look forward to building a working relationship together."
The Indiana Senate passed a measure offering the Bears funding to help build a stadium in the state, but the House paused debate on the measure, saying it needed more commitment from the team before moving forward.
That deal would lock the Bears into a lease for at least 35 years and provide public funding to build the stadium.
While the Bears' announcement was not a final decision on whether to build a stadium in the state, Indiana lawmakers are expressing optimism about trends in the ongoing saga.On Thursday, the Indiana House Ways and Means Committee unanimously approved a revised version of the bill.
"Indiana is open for business and our growth-friendly environment continues to attract great opportunities like this partnership with the Chicago Bears," Indiana Gov. Mike Braun said in a statement. "We have identified a promising site near Wolf Lake in Hammond and established a broad framework for negotiating a final agreement. If approved, the proposed amendments to Senate Bill 27 will provide the basic framework for completing the agreement, subject to successful site due diligence."
