Rahimi, Harris & Grote Show
Is Bears leadership on the same page regarding a new stadium location?
23 Feb 2026
Transcript generated automatically by AI and may contain errors.
Chapter 1: What are the latest developments regarding the Bears' stadium location?
Rahimi Harrison-Grody.
I don't want to break time. I want to yell at Marshall. Can we handle more Anthony Heron?
Middays 10 to 2 on 104.3 The Score.
This is Rahimi Harrison-Grody on 104.3 The Score. And we understand that the Indiana Senate hearing legislature is set to conclude this week. The 27th is Friday. That is the end of their legislative session. And we continue to get a little more news that came out throughout the weekend. Like, for example...
Kevin Warren spoke to Crane's Chicago business, and here is the really sexy and opinionated quote. And by all of that, I mean it's not the case at all. We continue to work with Illinois leadership and appreciate the progress being made. Bears CEO Kevin Warren said today in a statement shared with Crane's. Okay, so acknowledgement is key.
And he did acknowledge that there is still a working relationship with the state of Illinois. Meantime, Indiana Capitol Chronicle, who's been helping outline some of the details going on covering the Indiana Statehouse, had this headline today.
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Chapter 2: How does the Indiana Senate hearing impact the Bears' stadium plans?
Fiscal impact statement on Bear Stadium bill outlines millions in tax increases. And here's the key number here. The exact cost of the project is unknown at this time. This is Senate Bill 27.
Though the Chicago Bears have committed $2 billion, and House Speaker Todd Houston, this is Indiana House Speaker, said Thursday in unveiling the plan that as much as $1 billion in public funding could be involved. So that's three total. And we know that Arlington Heights was estimated at five. So I wonder how much it would be total in the state of Indiana.
It feels like we're all trying to add up the marbles, as it were, and we're coming up short. And we're like, well, where are the rest of these marbles coming from? And this is whether you're talking about the Indiana plan or the Illinois plan.
But Indiana's front and center right now because they're the ones who've come out and said, hey, we're about to pass this legislation, get it signed by the governor, and away we go. I think the Bears are doing a good job here, and I'm not saying I approve of or disapprove. I'm just saying they're doing a good job from their vantage point of slow rolling one to the other.
Have you guys ever had two job offers at the same time, and you weren't sure what you wanted to do? and you knew you wanted maybe this from the one job offer and something maybe different from the other job offer to get where you wanted to feel comfortable going ahead, that's what the Bears are doing right now.
They're doing the smart thing that any of us would do in a similar financial situation. You know... Two places want you, Illinois, Indiana, and now you've got to sort it out. And there's pros and cons to each side, and some of those pros and cons we don't even know yet because I don't think Indiana and Illinois necessarily know all the details.
Well, and when you start getting into the taxpayers of Indiana, I wonder how, if it's just a formality that they're putting that forth and saying, here's what it is, pander a little bit, because it sure feels like it's going to pass relatively easily and then end up on the governor's desk in Indiana, despite them doing their version of, ready for it, due diligence.
So I think it's very interesting that we'll see if it gets clogged up a little bit, but I think it goes quickly. Well, trying to ask for money for your stadium is due diligence. And that's what they didn't do on the Illinois side. And I don't think it's as much competition on the Illinois side because of how they went through that process based on how it's going in Indiana.
In Indiana, there were municipalities who said, Here's our suggested deal. Here's our suggested area. I don't want to say location because the set location has not been dictated yet in Hammond. And then also, well, how are you going to get us money? And they're saying in Indiana, we're going to do a billion dollars levied in taxes. Those taxes will be taxed by the Northwest Indiana Stadium Board.
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Chapter 3: What financial implications are associated with the Bears' stadium bill?
Kevin Warren did give a quote to Cranes this weekend saying, quote, we continue to work with Illinois leadership and appreciate the progress being made. That was a direct answer to the hurt feelings that Illinois and J.D. Pritzker, the governor of Illinois, expressed. We don't know what they're doing. We thought we had a deal here.
We thought that we had a pretty ā we made some progress in the ā And the Bears let out their statement saying that all the progress was in Indiana. And so now Kevin Warren wants to make sure that nobody's feelings are hurt in Illinois.
Isn't part of that, though, Grody, just Kevin Warren saying, hey, guys, I'm still here. I know I wasn't at that meeting that was planned.
No, I think that's because of all the heat that he was getting from everybody. And here's another thing.
bears the the well well check this out our old friend george offman who is a score classic a score a chicago sports treasure really is george offman and he was on facebook i don't know probably on twitter too but he was reporting georgio was what's going on george uh that bears owner george mccaskey is livid with his president that'd be kevin warren um and CEO, or did I write this down wrong?
With his president and CEO, Kevin Warren, for his handling of Thursday's series of events. And that was essentially praising the progress of Indiana is what went on last week. So according to George, there are people, George Hoffman, George McCaskey is livid with Kevin Warren. Okay, that's the part of this that I, not to discredit George, but... You're going to discredit George.
Unless George McCaskey speaks, how livid do we know he is? Well, depends on if you trust the reporting. No plan seems to be stopping here. You know, there was a clarification of tone when it came to the Indiana discussion. The real clarification, though, came from the Hammond mayor when he said, we don't have a set site yet for Wolf Lake. He brings up Hallis Hall.
Other people have said they know that Hallis Hall is staying in Lake Forest. We don't have that cited clearly yet either. I think that is the case, though. Okay, that's good to know. From people I've spoken to.
But then, you know, then there's also in this Cranes article, a source close to the matter said a bill with, quote, agreed language, end quote, could go to a committee meeting in Springfield next week. This came out on Saturday. So does that mean this week? Does that mean the week before? And I want to believe that from George Hoffman. But at some point, George McCaskey, it's your team.
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Chapter 4: How does the Bears' leadership compare between Illinois and Indiana?
You hired him to... You have a team president that people have been dying for the Bears to go out and get forever, so you think George is not going to let him do his job?
And I think he's realizing, okay, I probably should have given maybe more specific instructions to my desired result.
I'm not saying George hasn't made mistakes, but... You mean to tell me the Bears might have not thought this through completely?
Yeah. It's frustrating, too, because we're at the point now where you're talking about we're getting close to one thing. That's not what people want to get close to. They want to get close to, where's the stadium being built? Go ahead and start that thing up and let's stop this conversation.
And it's also, how much is it going to cost me?
Yes.
You know, how much is it going to cost me as a taxpayer? Like, do I want a new tax on this? Am I okay with giving up a steak dinner boom? Well, and that's what the Illinois legislature, that's what their check is. So that's where that would come from. And, you know, Governor Pritzker, I know from what I've heard, like I said, he is very interested in pushing this through.
rule he does not want to lose the bears but but but at the same time in in every article that is written or everything we hear he always has to say i am going to do what is in the best interest of the taxpayers and that is the legislature's job i am glad george spoke offman I just wish McCaskey would as well. Wrong George. We love you, Georgie, but we would like the other George to speak.
Both George's speaking are good. I am pro-George Hoffman speaking.
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