Chicago Bears Take a Step Toward Indiana

The Chicago Bears inched closer to becoming an out-of-state team Friday, but they're not slamming the door on Illinois yet. The team's board voted to advance a stadium project in Hammond, Indiana, with the exact site still to be determined, and praised a "world-class" vision that would link northwest Indiana to Chicago and fuel regional development, the Chicago Tribune reports. Indiana lawmakers have already approved up to $1 billion in public funding through new taxes and fees, with the Bears expected to put in more than $2 billion of their own. The team now plays at Soldier Field in Chicago.

Illinois officials, meanwhile, are calling the move anything but final. Gov. JB Pritzker's office accused the team of shifting stadium positions for years, while key Democratic lawmakers say Bears CEO Kevin Warren personally told them talks about an Illinois stadium will continue. Chicago's mayor played down the Hammond vote as more posturing, noting there's no selected site or shovel in the ground. The decision follows the collapse of a late-session Illinois bill aimed at aiding a Bears stadium in Arlington Heights and the team's earlier, still-stalled pitch for a taxpayer-supported domed venue on Chicago's lakefront. A team statement in May said, "The Chicago Bears have exhausted every opportunity to stay in Chicago, which was our initial goal," per USA Today.