‘Odds have gone up’ for Bears’ Indiana move, Gov. Mike Braun says

(NewsNation) — The Chicago Bears’ chances of moving to the Hoosier State have increased, according to Indiana Gov. Mike Braun.

A last-ditch attempt to pass a bill to keep the Bears in town failed Monday in the Illinois legislature, keeping the door open for a move to Indiana.

In a statement, the NFC North franchise said, “We will finalize our evaluation of both Arlington Heights, Illinois, and Hammond, Indiana, and remain on the late spring/early summer timeline that we have previously communicated.”

Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker has insisted his state has not fumbled the ball.

“The reality is I wasn’t willing to give up billions of dollars of taxpayer money in order to give it to a billionaire-owned family or team and believe very much that the incentives that we provide for businesses ought to be similar to the incentives we provide to this type of business,” he said.

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Braun joined “The Hill on NewsNation” to discuss the possibility of the Bears crossing state lines to play their games in Hammond, 23 miles south of Chicago’s current home at Soldier Field.

“So it’s now getting up against the clock. The league is wanting an answer. The Bears certainly need it … it’s moved closer,” Braun said of the prospect of the Bears in Indiana.

“Now, it’s probably got more urgency from the league from the Bears themselves to where the odds have definitely gone up,” he added.

Braun said it is likely to be known “in less than a month” whether the Bears will be relocating.

“You’re going to get a lot more stadium for the dollars you spend because it’s in Indiana, not there. You’re going to have plenty of room to tailgate and do things you never were able to do at Soldier Field, and you’re going to be able to watch the game and look at the skyline of Chicago in the distance,” he added.

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