A move of the Bears to Indiana is now “in the red zone,” according to state Gov. Mike Braun, leaning in to the football metaphor.
Speaking at a Valparaiso University event, Braun said an agreement for a $5 billion domed stadium and mixed-use development in suburban Hammond, Indiana, just across the state line from Illinois, is inching ever closer to definitive completion.
“I’ve done so much real estate in my career. Until you ink it, it’s not done,” Braun said. “But it’s moved a long distance in a short period of time because it moved hardly at all for five and a half years [in Illinois].”
Braun’s latest comments arrive as the NFL team remains in a delicate position regarding its long-awaited stadium decision. Most recently, the Bears’ ownership and board of directors formally voted early last month to advance its efforts on the Hammond project.
“One of the things that struck the Bears the most about this whole ordeal is the fact that a Republican governor and a Democratic mayor can work hand in hand and get a job done in a bipartisan manner,” said Hammond Mayor Thomas McDermott Jr., also appearing at the Valparaiso event.
