The Chicago Bears are coming to Indiana.
The team announced Friday that they would be accepting the state’s offer to build a stadium in Hammond, Indiana.
Bears board of directors chairman George McCaskey released a statement Friday, first reported by the Chicago Sun Times, saying the stadium site in Indiana is “to be selected.”
The Illinois Legislature ended its Spring session without passing its version of a bill aimed to keep the team in Chicago. Lawmakers, including Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, said they worried about spending money on a new stadium as residents struggled with affordability.
Indiana lawmakers passed legislation earlier this year worth one billion dollars to incentivize the team to come.
Speaker of the House Todd Huston led the effort to pass that legislation. He says it’s a major win for Indiana.
“We’re stable. We get things done. We support big things in Indiana and this is certainly one of them,” Huston said.
In a statement, Governor Mike Braun called on Hoosiers to welcome the Chicago Bears.
Contact Government Reporter Benjamin Thorp at bthorp@wfyi.org