The mayor of Hammond, Indiana, says the Chicago Bears may be set to announce their move from Chicago to Hammond, Indiana, as soon as Thursday.
Mayor Tom McDermott told WMAQ-TV that “there would be an announcement Thursday,” but he did not elaborate on exactly what the announcement would mean.
“I mean, I’m not the kind of guy that would call somebody and tell them, ‘Hey, I’m going to let some bad news out tomorrow,’ but maybe – I’m not presuming anything. I’m hopeful it’s going to be good news,” he added.
“I hope it’s about the stadium. I don’t want to presume, but I was told there’s going to be an announcement tomorrow, and that’s the issue we’re all dealing with,” the mayor said.
The last official statement on the proposed move came from Bears Chairman George McCaskey, who told WMAQ that the team is seriously considering a move to Indiana.
“We’re doing some due diligence on a second site in Hammond. I think Kevin (Warren) and I will have more to report in the coming days,” McCaskey said on Monday.
The team and its supporters had counted on a bill to pass the Illinois legislature to fund a new stadium. But the legislative session closed without a vote on the bill, spurring the Bears to begin a serious effort to look elsewhere, including northwest Indiana, just over the border from Illinois.
Indiana officials have already begun environmental testing at the proposed site of a new stadium near Hammond, so it is clear that the Indiana legislature is serious about welcoming the Bears to the Hoosier State. The proposed site is about 19 miles from downtown Chicago.
“I do know there’s extensive testing going on even right now,” Mayor McDermott said. “I had one of the local businesses in the new footprint call me and say, ‘hey, they’re boring holes currently.’”
The Indiana legislature already passed a precursor bill to support a move by the Bears, and Indiana Gov. Mike Braun said, “I’d say we’re in the red zone. I’ve done so much real estate in my career. Until you ink it, it’s not done, but it’s moved a long distance in a short period of time.”
Nearly every effort to keep the Bears in Chicago — or at least the surrounding suburbs — has been stymied by Chicago Democrats leaving the team few options but to look to Indiana.
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