NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell joined top Chicago Bears officials to tour potential new stadium sites before the team’s stunning playoff win over the Green Bay Packers, a source familiar with the visit said.
Bears President and CEO Kevin Warren and Chairman George McCaskey took Goodell on a tour of the Arlington Heights site the team owns, and two sites in northwest Indiana, including one near Wolf Lake in Hammond.
The tour took place Saturday before the Bears’ epic come-from-behind victory over the archrival Packers. The visit is significant because the National Football League may loan $200 million or more for the stadium project, if it is approved by league owners.
Since the Tribune first reported the Bears’ interest in Indiana last month, Indiana Gov. Mike Braun has been working with the team to build a new stadium in the Hoosier State.
“This move would deliver a major economic boost, create jobs, and bring another premier NFL franchise to the Hoosier State,” Braun said at the time. “Let’s get it done.”
Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker and state legislative leaders have rejected the idea of public funding for a stadium.
Team officials have said they would pay more than $2 billion for the stadium construction, but need public funding to help pay for an estimated $855 million in infrastructure costs for the former Arlington International Racecourse site they own in Arlington Heights. They’re also seeking a change in state law to negotiate long-term property taxes with local taxing bodies.
That legislation wouldn’t cost the state anything, but state lawmakers in Chicago have called for the team to help pay off more than $500 million in debt remaining from the 2003 renovation of the team’s home at Soldier Field, which the city is obligated to pay.
The team has a lease for Soldier Field through 2033, but can leave earlier by paying a penalty. Warren had called for breaking ground last year on a new state-of-the-art, enclosed stadium, which would take three years to build.