Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker said he was “very disappointed” in the Chicago Bears Thursday after the team issued a statement praising work done by the Indiana legislature to lure the team to their state.
The Indiana legislature is planning to move forward with a bill that would provide incentives for the Bears to build a new stadium in Hammond near Wolf Lake, but Pritzker said in a press conference Thursday that his team had prolonged discussions with the Bears this week on a project that would see the team relocate to Arlington Heights.
In fact, the Illinois General Assembly’s Revenue & Finance Committee had been prepared to hold a hearing on progress on a deal to keep the team in the state, but the Bears requested the meeting be canceled just prior to making their statement about Indiana, the governor said.
“We have made a lot of advancement in that conversation with them. I’m surprised, dismayed, very disappointed in what I saw in a statement,” he said.
Pritzker said his team met for more than three hours with the Bears on Wednesday, and were prepared to move forward with a bill addressing some of the parameters of a deal between the two sides to construct the stadium in Arlington Heights.
Instead, the Bears asked them to postpone the hearing on Thursday.
“We mostly agreed on a bill that would move forward this morning. They asked us not to move forward because they wanted to tweak some items on the bill,” he said. “I have to say it’s very disappointing to hear that they would put that statement out but not say anything about the advancement that’s been made in the state of Illinois. We’re waiting to hear what the Bears would like to do next.”
Pritzker went on to say that the Bears insist their statement did not indicate a final decision to move to Indiana, and he would await the team’s next move in the Illinois negotiations.
Still, the Bears’ statement on Thursday indicated they view the bill being weighed by the Indiana legislature as “the most meaningful step forward in our stadium planning efforts to date,” and that they look forward to working with Indiana lawmakers.
“We are committed to finishing the remaining site-specific necessary due diligence to support our vision to build a world-class stadium near the Wolf Lake area in Hammond, Indiana. We appreciate the leadership shown by Governor Braun, Speaker Huston, Senator Mishler and members of the Indiana General Assembly in establishing this critical framework and path forward to deliver a premier venue for all of Chicagoland and a destination for Bears fans and visitors from across the globe,” the team said. “We value our partnership and look forward to continuing to build our working relationship together.”
Indiana’s Senate had passed a measure that would offer the Bears funds to help construct a stadium in the state, but the House had paused talks on the measure, saying they wanted more of a commitment from the team before moving forward.
That deal would lock the Bears into a lease of at least 35 years and would provide public funding toward construction of a stadium.
While the Bears’ statement was not a final decision that they will build a stadium in the state, lawmakers in Indiana are projecting optimism about the trends in the ongoing saga. The Indiana House Ways and Means Committee passed an amended version of the bill unanimously Thursday.
“Indiana is open for business, and our pro-growth environment continues to attract major opportunities like this partnership with the Chicago Bears,” Indiana Gov. Mike Braun said in a statement. “We’ve identified a promising site near Wolf Lake in Hammond and established a broad framework for negotiating a final deal. If approved, the proposed amendment to Senate Bill 27 puts forward the essential framework to complete this agreement, contingent upon site due diligence proceeding smoothly.”
from NBC Chicago https://ift.tt/8ispkUO
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