Time to start practicing before the start of the NFL season. Repeat 10xs a day while looking into a mirror. βI will not allow fantasy football to negatively impact my mental health this upcoming football season!β Peace be with you. ππΏ
Chicago mayor Brandon Johnson shares where the city stands in the Bears stadium sweepstakes from his perspective and explains why he thinks it's best they continue to play on the lakefront.
NEW: Mayor Johnson says recent discussions with the Bears were more advanced than previously known. He says city officials have been discussing "term sheets" w/ Bears on a lakefront stadium proposal. The Bears have said consistently Hammond and AH are only two sites in play.
While we had hoped to get this done before adjournment, it became clear when HB958 was filed in the early morning hours that the votes simply weren't there. That's nobody's fault. It's just the reality of trying to move something of this size, complexity, and consequence in the final hours of session.
The truth is that proposals of this magnitude take time. Members need time to review details, ask questions, hear from stakeholders, and understand the long-term implications of what they're being asked to support. This proposal came together late in the process, and many members simply did not have enough time to get comfortable with it.
Even though the last 24 hours felt incredibly urgent, as they always do during the controlled chaos of the final days of session, it's important to remember that while HB 910, which the House approved five weeks ago, carried an immediate effective date. The proposal that passed this morning does not. Its effective date is January of 2027.
Thatβs an acknowledgment that there is still time to continue the work. There is still time to answer questions, refine concepts, build consensus, and continue discussions with the Bears and all the stakeholders involved. The legislative pathway remains open. The Senate has a House bill available for consideration. The House now has a Senate bill available for consideration. The vehicles are there, and the conversations are ongoing.
I remain optimistic. We all share the same goal: finding a solution that works for the Bears, works for taxpayers, and earns the confidence of the General Assembly.
This morning was the end of session. It was not the end of the conversation.
CHICAGO BEARS STADIUM UPDATE THREAD:
The Illinois legislature adjourned the spring session without resolving the Chicago Bears stadium issue.
Late Sunday, a last-minute proposal (which is very similar to the legislation proposed and passed in Indiana) passed the Illinois Senate but did not make it through the House as the General Assembly wrapped up its work before 5 a.m. CT.
That legislation proposed would allow municipalities( Arlington Heights, Chicago, etc.) to create their own sports stadium authority. The Bears would still fund the construction of the stadium, but it would be publicly owned. The legislation was an attempt to keep the Bears in IL because it would solve their biggest hurdle: finding property tax certainty.
Because the PILOT legislation died over the weekend, lawmakers tried to pass something that would keep the Bears from having to pay property taxes.
So now the Bears say they have a decision to make. Here is a statement from the team: "We will finalize our evaluation of both Arlington Heights and Hammond, and remain on the late spring/early summer timeline that we have previously communicated. We will provide an update when we have a decision to share."
π§π₯ππ‘πππ‘π: The legendary Jason Kelce says that the NFL has too many non-Sunday games this upcoming season.
"Sunday is the NFL ... weβre getting away from that a little bit."
Roger Goodell is ruining the league π€¦ββοΈ
Iβm going to need some basketball dudes to help me understand why Mitchell Robinson will miss time with a broken pinky. I broke my hand in training camp, had surgery, and had my whole hand in a cast and didnβt miss a game