ESPN personality Stephen A. Smith reacts after Illinois governor says the Chicago Bears are leaving Chicago.
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Stephen A. Smith criticized Chicago after the Illinois governor said the Bears appear assured of leaving the city.
ESPN personality Stephen A. Smith blasted Chicago on Saturday after the Illinois governor said the Chicago Bears are leaving the city.
“Chicago letting this happen? Shame on them — because it’s the Bears,” Smith said on ESPN First Take Saturday, after Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker confirmed that the franchise appears assured of departing Chicago amid stalled stadium negotiations. “You ain’t supposed to let the Bears go across state lines. You don’t let that happen in the city of Chicago.”
Smith’s comments come as momentum builds around a potential move to Indiana, with state officials across the border pursuing plans that could relocate the Bears outside Illinois for the first time in franchise history.
On Friday, Pritzker confirmed that the Bears would not get a new stadium in the city of Chicago, according to a report by the Chicago Tribune. The Bears play in Soldier Field, which was built in 1924, making it the oldest stadium in the NFL. The next-oldest stadium is Lambeau Field, home of the Green Bay Packers, which opened under the name Green Bay City Stadium in 1957.
What did Stephen A. Smith Say About the Bears?
Smith criticized Chicago officials after the Illinois governor said that the Chicago Bears are preparing to relocate. The ESPN commentator said the franchise should never be allowed to cross state lines, calling it a failure by the city to keep one of the NFL’s most historic teams.
“Chicago letting this happen? Shame on them — because it’s the Bears,” Smith said. “You ain’t supposed to let the Bears go across state lines. You don’t let that happen in the city of Chicago.”
On Thursday, the Indiana House Ways and Means Committee unanimously passed an amendment to a bill that would pave the way for the Bears to move to Hammond, Indiana, about 30 miles south of Chicago.
The Bears then issued a statement saying that the franchise was “committed to finishing the remaining site-specific necessary due diligence to support our vision to build a world-class stadium near the Wolf Lake area in Hammond, Indiana.”
On Saturday, Smith, ESPN’s highest-paid on-air personality at about $20 million per year, directed his criticism at the city for failing to work out a new stadium deal.
“The city of Chicago has had ample time to work something out so you don’t have to deal with Soldier Field — and you haven’t done it. If Indiana is going to step up and get it done, and we’re talking about a 20-minute drive? Please. You do it. There’s no question about it,” Smith acknowledged. “But it’s just sad. It’s Chi-Town. It’s Chicago. It’s going to be sad.”
Are the Chicago Bears Leaving the City?
The Illinois governor said the Chicago Bears appear assured of leaving the city as stadium negotiations stall. While the team has not formally announced a relocation date, momentum has shifted toward a potential move to Indiana pending financing and final approvals.
“I think now there’s a common understanding by most of the (Illinois) General Assembly that they’re not going to be able to build in the city of Chicago,” Pritzker said on Friday, as quoted by the Tribune.
Smith warned that the inability to keep the Bears would have consequences for the third-largest city in the U.S.
“And by the way, Chicago is going to take a financial hit,” Smith said on the ESPN broadcast. “It’s very, very stupid for the city of Chicago not to find a way to get this done. You’re going to let Indiana profit off your team?”