Bear Digest

Momentum Kevin Warren Feels for Stadium Seems More Like Stalemate

While Bears president Kevin Warren was trumpeting previously undiscovered momentum on the lakefront stadium project, key politicians for funding were feuding.

Gene Chamberlain

Bears president Kevin Warren says the stadium project has momentum, all while politicians critical to its success are at odds.
Bears president Kevin Warren says the stadium project has momentum, all while politicians critical to its success are at odds. / Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images
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Nine months ago the Bears started a press conference about their decision to build a stadium at Soldier Field's south parking lot with a prayer for the stadium, to much public ridicule.

It appears now their plan doesn't have a prayer, but after their season-ending press conference team president Kevin Warren seemed almost too optimistic construction of the stadium was imminent.

"So the status is, downtown still remains the focus, the museum campus," Warren said. "I feel that we made a massive amount of momentum."

If momentum is standing still, then perhaps. It's possible the Bears know more about their project than they've let on lately because the only news on this front recently has been looking at the Michael Reese Hospital property and the settlement on tax rates for the Arlington International Racecourse property they own.

"Again, I've been here 20 months and we've made great progress," Warren said. "But along those lines, we own 326 acres of beautiful land in Arlington Heights. It's a fantastic piece of property. We were able to get the memorandum of understanding (taxes) done there.

"So optionality does exist, but I'll remain steadfast that the goal remains that we have shovels in the ground in 2025 and I'm confident that will happen."

On the same day Warren was talking about putting a shovel in the ground, it seemed their last best hope for getting this project done was being buried.

They need the help of Gov. J.B. Pritzker in getting funding for such a stadium and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson needs to be the force a driving force for the lakefront project.

Instead, while speaking in Springfield at a press conference Tuesday, Pritzker didn't exactly paint a picture of cooperation between the city and state on cash issues.

In fact, Chicago has a $1 billion budget deficit and it was the topic of discussion in the press conference.

“They don't reach out very often. And it seems like they don't have good relationships in Springfield, in part because they don't do the outreach that's necessary,” Pritzer said said. “I've always taken calls from the mayor….(and) he has my direct number.”

THIS TIME IT WILL BE DIFFERENT SAYS RYAN POLES, GEORGE MCCASKEY, KEVIN WARREN

Pritzker estimated Johnson has called him "perhaps five times" in the two years he has been Chicago mayor.

 “Literally the last call that we got from them was in September and then once in December," Pritzker said. "We, by the way, scheduled calls. And then they didn’t show up. And then there was a December call that happened in which they didn’t ask for anything. … But again, he has my number.”

Pritzer did leave a life rope dangling.

“The lines of communication are open, but people have to take advantage of the open communication line,” Pritzker said.

And Johnson is who Warren's hope for stadium project funding rests with now?

So much for momentum.

The Bears need the extra funding because they have pledged to fund about $2.025 billion, and this leaves Illinois taxpayers to foot the remaining $2.6 billion in some manner.

How is a city with a $1 billion budget shortfall going to come up with $2.6 billion for a stadium?

When told it doesn't seem like the Bears stadium has any momentum, Warren bristled.

"When you say, 'It doesn't seem like that,' we have stadium meetings every single day," Warren said. "From a political standpoint, from a business standpoint, these things are massive projects. I've been here before in Minnesota. This is not buying a house where you go and find it and you put a deposit down and then you close on a certain day. There are so many things that come together.

"I think that you'll see, especially as we get into the spring and summer, you'll start seeing some of this progress that I'm talking about now. I feel the momentum is really moving in the right direction and from a stadium standpoint, we're right exactly where I thought we would be."

Now if only Mayor Johnson and Pritzker were where he thought they would be with the rest of the funds.

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Gene Chamberlain
GENE CHAMBERLAIN

BearDigest.com publisher Gene Chamberlain has covered the Chicago Bears full time as a beat writer since 1994 and prior to this on a part-time basis for 10 years. He covered the Bears as a beat writer for Suburban Chicago Newspapers, the Daily Southtown, Copley News Service and has been a contributor for the Daily Herald, the Associated Press, Bear Report, CBS Sports.com and The Sporting News. He also has worked a prep sports writer for Tribune Newspapers and Sun-Times newspapers.

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