Brian Urlacher called the Chicago Bears‘ push toward Hammond, Indiana, a negotiating ploy Wednesday, seven weeks after the franchise’s board advanced that project.
“I just cannot see the Bears leaving Illinois. It drives me crazy,” Urlacher said, in an interview with Fox News this week. “And I don’t want them leaving Soldier Field, honestly.”
The Hall of Fame linebacker’s read runs against the team’s own public posture which has, at least publicly, leaned heavily into the Hammond, Indiana, proposal for a new Bears stadium.
“I think that was still a ploy to try to get the state of Illinois to do something more than what they’ve done, which is nothing,” Urlacher said, as quoted by Fox News reporter Ryan Morik. “The Bears bought the land in Arlington Heights. They have that there, ready to go. They just need a little bit of funding from the state to build the stadium.”
Urlacher said he understood the motivation on the team’s part to secure a new stadium, saying, “I wish they could work something out to keep them there, but they want a dome, they want Super Bowls, they want Final Fours. They want all that big stuff. I get it. I just hate the fact that they’re leaving Soldier Field. That place is iconic.”
Urlacher played 13 seasons in the building.
“I understand Indiana is offering them some great deals tax-wise, $2.5 billion to build the stadium. That’s a big deal. As a businessperson, which the owners have to be these days, it makes sense to go. Unless Illinois comes through with something, I don’t see them staying there,” Urlacher added.
Chicago Bears Stadium Search Continues as Brian Urlacher Weighs In
GettyFans arrive at Soldier Field for a Chicago Bears game.
The Bears board voted June 4 to advance the Hammond project, days after Illinois legislators adjourned without acting on an Arlington Heights bill, according to an Associated Press report. Team President and CEO Kevin Warren spoke about that vote in mid-July.
“I think we’ve been very clear. I mean, always, you have to have property tax certainty. The numbers are too big if you don’t have it, and it’s too uncertain,” Warren said, as quoted by Patch.com. He stopped short of closing the door on Arlington Heights, where the Bears own the former Arlington Park property.
Attention has since narrowed to Wolf Lake Terminals, a parcel 19 miles from downtown Chicago and close enough to the state line to sidestep environmental problems found elsewhere in Hammond. Crews have pulled soil samples, and early site work has begun, StadiumDB reported.
Indiana Gov. Mike Braun signed the state’s stadium bill this year and remains bullish.
“I’d say we’re in the red zone. I’ve done so much real estate in my career. Until you ink it, it’s not done,” Braun said, as quoted by NBC Chicago.
Brian Urlacher’s Chicago Bears Career and Hall of Fame Resume
GettyBears legend Brian Urlacher is honored for his induction into the Hall of Fame at Soldier Field.
Urlacher was born May 25, 1978, in Pasco, Washington, grew up in Lovington, New Mexico, and became an All-American for the Lobos, Britannica notes. Chicago took him ninth overall in 2000.
At 6-foot-4 and 258 pounds, he covered ground linebackers his size were not supposed to reach, finishing with 41.5 sacks, 22 interceptions and 16 fumble recoveries across 182 games, according to the Pro Football Hall of Fame, plus roughly 1,238 combined tackles.
The honors stacked up fast. Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2000. Defensive Player of the Year in 2005. Eight Pro Bowls, the NFL’s 2000s All-Decade Team, Super Bowl XLI and first-ballot enshrinement in Canton in 2018.
Bears Indiana Stadium Plan ‘Drives Me Crazy,’ Hall of Famer Brian Urlacher Says