Rahimi, Harris & Grote Show - Is Bears leadership on the same page regarding a new stadium location?

Episode Date: February 23, 2026

Leila Rahimi, Marshall Harris and Mark Grote pondered whether Bears chairman George McCaskey and president Kevin Warren are on the same page about where they want to build a new stadium as the organization considers Arlington Heights and Hammond.

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This is Rahimi Harris and Brody on 1043 The Score. And we understand that the Indiana Senate hearing legislature is set to conclude this week. The 27th is Friday. That is the end of their legislative session. And we continue to get a little more news that came out throughout the weekend. Like, for example, Kevin Warren spoke to Crane's Chicago business. and here is the really sexy and opinionated quote. And by all of that, I mean, it's not the case at all.

We continue to work with Illinois leadership and appreciate the progress being made. Bear's CEO, Kevin Warren, said today in a statement shared with cranes. Okay, so acknowledgement is key. And he did acknowledge that there is still a working relationship with the state of Illinois. meantime Indiana Capitol Chronicle, who's been helping outline some of the details going on covering the Indiana State House, had this headline today. Fiscal impact statement on Bear Stadium Bill outlines millions in tax increases. And here's the key number here. The exact cost of the project is unknown at this time.

This is Senate Bill 27, though the Chicago Bears have committed $2 billion, and House Speaker Todd Houston, this is Indiana House Speaker, said Thursday in unveiling the plan that as much as $1 billion in public funding could be involved. So that's three total. And we know that Arlington Heights was estimated at five. So I wonder how much it would be total in the state of Indiana. It feels like we're all trying to add up the marbles, as it were, and we're coming up short, and we're like, well, where are the rest of these marbles coming from? And this is whether you're talking about the Indiana plan or the Illinois plan. But, Indiana. Indiana's front and center right now because they're the ones who've come out and said,

hey, we're about to pass this legislation, get assigned by the governor, and away we go. I think the bears are doing a good job here, and I'm not saying I approve of or disapprove. I'm just saying they're doing a good job from their vantage point of slow rolling one to the other. Have you guys ever had two job offers at the same time, and you weren't sure what you wanted to do? And you knew you wanted, like, maybe this from the one job offer and something maybe different. from the other job offer to get where you wanted to feel comfortable going ahead. That's what the bears are doing right now. They're doing the smart thing that any of us would do in a similar financial situation.

You know two places want you, Illinois, Indiana, and now you've got to sort it out. And there's pros and cons to each side. And some of those pros and cons, we don't even know yet because I don't think Indiana and Illinois necessarily know all the details. Well, and when you start getting into the taxpayers of Indiana, I wonder how if it's just a formality that they're putting that forth and saying, here's what it is, pander a little bit, because it sure feels like it's going to pass relatively easily and that end up on the governor's desk in Indiana, despite them doing their version of,

ready for it, due diligence. So I think it's very interesting that we'll see if it gets clogged up a little bit, but I think it goes quickly. Well, trying to ask for money for your stadium is due diligence. and that's what they didn't do on the Illinois side. And I don't think it's as much competition on the Illinois side because of how they went through that process based on how it's going in Indiana. In Indiana, there were municipalities who said,

here's our suggested deal, here's our suggested area. I don't want to say location because a set location has not been dictated yet in Hammond. And then also, well, how are you going to get us money? And they're saying in Indiana, we're going to do a billion dollars levy in taxes. The taxes will be taxed by the Northwest Indiana Stadium Board. That is the idea behind putting that bill into place.

That's the framework to be able to collect the money. Now, they've also said a 1% food and beverage tax that we've talked about in Lake and Porter counties. That would get an estimated $12 to $8 million annually. This is all according to Indiana Capital Chronicle. And then additionally, the bill allows Lake County to increase the total hotel tax rate from its current 5% to 10%. the county council is required to adopt an ordinance increasing the tax rate by June 30th of next year. So that would indicate, they say, about $5.4 million annually. And then there are other taxes as well that go into it.

Like, for example, a ticket tax, things of that nature, 12% admission tax on tax for tickets for events held in the stadium that could be anything, not necessarily an NFL game. That's that administrative fees type feel. But in the meantime, you know, is there more money that would go toward the state? project from another revenue source or from another source to get them to the to the price they want. So far cost five billion. We know the price only goes up. But when it comes to the Illinois side of things, we talked about the roller coaster that we were all on reading the real time updates on Thursday on Friday when it came to all of this. Now we understand that a glowing statement was made toward Indiana. Mike Braun talked to us at the score about the meaning of what that statement

was in the backing. And he gave us more insight on this bill, Senate Bill 27. I think now it's up to the Bears to not only like David Hawes said in his column, George McCasky should talk at some point. It can't just be Kevin Warren. But also, they need to tell us what they want. Like at some point, you have to start telling the public what you want here. Because you've done it in the past. And when you're asking for public money, somebody's got to tell us what you want. I think that's the hope from the public and people who are concerned about where their money goes and if this is a good investment for taxpayers. But let's be honest, Lila, Mark, they don't have to do it. They're going to keep things behind closed doors as long as possible until the moment they cross

the finish line. It seems like in Indiana, they could cross a finish line without having to deal with public backlash a lot easier than they could in Illinois. A couple of things. There was a Kevin Warren did give a quote to Cranes this weekend saying, quote, we continue to work with Illinois leadership and appreciate the progress being made. That was a direct answer to the hurt feelings that Illinois and J.D. Pritzker, the governor of Illinois, expressed. We don't know what they're doing. We thought we had a deal here.

We thought that we had a pretty, we made some progress. And the bears let out their statement saying that all the progress was in Indiana. and so now, Cameron Warren wants to make sure that nobody's feelings are hurt in Illinois. Isn't part of that, though, Grody, just Kevin Warren say, hey, guys, I'm still here. I know it wasn't at that meeting that was playing. No, I think that's because of all the heat that he was getting from everybody. And here's another thing. Is that within the Bears?

Well, check this out. Our old friend George Offman, who is a score classic, a Chicago sports treasure, really, is George Offman. And he was on Facebook, I don't know, probably on Twitter too, but he was a. reporting, Georgio was, what's going on, George, that bears owner, George McCasky is livid with his president, that'd be Kevin Warren, and CEO, or did I write this down wrong? It's with his president and CEO Kevin Warren for his handling of Thursday series of events. And that was essentially praising the progress of Indiana as what went on last week. So according to George, there are people, George, George Hoffman. George McCasky is livid with Kevin Warren.

Okay, that's the part of this that I, not to discredit George, but. You're going to discredit George. Unless George McCasky speaks, how livid do we know he is? Well, it depends on if you trust the reporting. No plan seems to be stopping here. You know, there was a clarification of tone when it came to the Indiana discussion. The real clarification, though, came from the Hammond mayor when he said, we don't have a set site yet for Wolf Lake.

He brings up Hallis Hall. Other people who said they know that Hallis Hall is staying in Lake Forest. I don't, we don't have that cited clearly yet either. I think that is the case though. Okay. That's good to know. From people I've spoken to. But then, you know, then there's also in this Crane's

article, a source close to the matter said a bill with, quote, agreed language, end quote, could go to a committee meeting in Springfield next week. This came out on Saturday. So does that mean this week? Does that mean the week before? And I want to believe that from George Hoffman. But at some point, George McCasky, it's your team. It's your team.

You're the one who told us that Arlington Heights was the sole focus whenever you guys bought that property three years ago. It still sits vacant today. So isn't it your job to tell us how you feel? Toyota builds vehicles that don't just keep up. They lead the pack on the road, in your routine, and most of all, within your budget. Take the Camry and Corolla, two stylish and dependable cars, both with the latest tech and driver-friendly features, and the performance to make every commute feel effortless.

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That's where Rosetta Stone comes in. For over 30 years, they've been a trusted leader in language learning. Their immersive, intuitive method helps you naturally absorb your new language. No memorizing random vocabulary lists and no relying on translations. Instead, you learn by connecting words, visuals, and meaning in context. The way language is meant to be learned. With 25 languages to choose from, including Spanish, French, German, and Japanese, and millions of users worldwide, Rosetta Stone is the go-to tool for real language growth. Plus, lessons are simple and easy to fit into your day, whether you have five minutes in the morning or a quick break in the afternoon. Ready to start learning a new language this spring? Visit rosettastone.com slash RS10 today to explore Rosetta Stone and choose the language that's right for you.

Go to Rosettastone.com slash RS10 now and begin your language learning journey. It is not hard to destroy a college. Last season, the podcast, Campus Files, brought you stories of fraternity drug rings, stolen body parts, campus cults, and more. And now Campus Files is back for another season. There's a guy I screaming into his phone. He's like, I just saw Charlie Kirk to assassinate it right in front of me.

Every week is a new episode and a new story. It was so chaotic. It's almost like a university. siege. Listen to and follow campus files. Available now wherever you get your podcasts. I want the one thing I want to have a better understanding of, based on what you just said, Leila, was the Kevin Warren push for downtown?

Was that just a Kevin Warren? Let me see if I can salvage this because this land was bought before I got here. Or did George McCasky say, hey, do you think there's a chance we could still build in Chicago? I feel like I had never gotten a real defined answer on that. How much? Like who was leading that charge? I think that was definitely Kevin Ward.

That's the whole thing here. If you want to call it a mistake on George McCasky's part, then it was to give carte blanche to Kevin Warren to be. And I think, and I don't know this, I have not talked to George McCasky. But I think knowing George, the way he delegates authority, he has allowed Kevin Warren somewhat to his credit to do his job, which was to negotiate the best possible deal for a stadium staying out of his way. I feel like we are getting closer, though, with this report from George,

with the statement that was led out by Kevin Warren on the appreciation of her leadership, we're getting closer and closer to hearing from George McCaskey, and it sounds like we kind of have heard from him through back channels. Yeah, and the George McCaskey component of it, because, yes, I understand the delegation letting him do it. That's what's going on. You hired him to, but like, you hired, you pay,

you have a team president that people have been dying for the bears to go out and get forever. So you think George is not going to let him do his job? And I think he's realizing, okay, I probably should have given maybe more specific instructions to my desired result. I'm not saying George hasn't made mistakes. You mean to tell me the bears might have not thought this through completely? It's frustrating too because we're at the point now where you're talking about we're getting close to one thing.

That's not what people want to get close to. They want to get close to. Where's the stadium being built? Go ahead and start that thing up and let's stop this conversation. And it's also, how much is it going to cost me? Yes. You know, how much is it going to cost me as a taxpayer? Like, do I want a new tax on this?

Am I okay with giving up a steak dinner boom? Well, and that's what the Illinois legislature, that's what their, that's what their check is. So that's where that would come from. Their continue, and, you know, Governor Pritzker, all, I know, I know, from what I've heard, like I said, He is very interested in pushing this through. He does not want to lose the bear. But at the same time, in every article that is written or everything that we hear, he always has to say, I am going to do what is in the best interests of the taxpayers, and that is the legislature's job.

I am glad George spoke, Offman. I just wish McCaskey would as well. Wrong, we love you, Georgie, but we would like the other George to speak. Both George's speaking are good. I am pro George Hoffman speaking. Straight from the horse's mouth. I'll take all the horses. But I would also like George McCowski.

Because if you're too afraid to ask for our money on a microphone, I don't know how much you deserve it is the thing. Yeah, but does he like... Put your mouth where your money is. Get your mouth shut. Dicketh. Okay. Yeah.

One of these days he is going to speak, but as painful as it has been, at times, he is allowing Kevin. Warren to do his job. He was hired to do this job. Well, Kevin Warren didn't reportedly attend the meeting with the state last week. Which is why this statement came out. We continue to work with Illinois leadership and appreciate progress being made. My guess is that was not something Kevin Warren necessarily wanted to do on his own that maybe, maybe, just maybe, Leila, George McCasky said, a little push, little push on the back. And this is all why I was so angry about it to

begin with, because don't be wasting their time, either the municipality or the state of Indiana or the state of Illinois. It's a mess, but we seem to bear's playing up a lot of messes. Frankly, what do we do, waste everybody's time? The state of Illinois is not wasting anyone's time. I'm not wasting anyone's time. We're great. I love wasting your time. Hey, Paul Pierce is also a throated idea out there that may not waste time, but it might get some people injured. Would you like to hear about it? know what it is. I can't wait to hear your reaction to what it is.

I can't wait to hear you're waiting. Yeah. Next. It's Toyota Truck Month. Time to get a truck that works as hard as you do. Tacoma, Tundra. Built for the work site. Ready for the trail.

And packed with tech that makes every drive smarter. Available with 360-degree panoramic cameras for perfect visibility in tight spots. Powered tailgate for easy loading. and a high-tech connected screen to keep you on the grid no matter where you are, all backed by the brand known for its legendary reliability, the rugged Toyota Tacoma, and the full-sized tundra, are built to handle it all. And right now, your local Toyota dealer has great financing and lease options available to qualified customers,

meaning there's no better time to test drive the Toyota truck you need. Find a great Toyota Truck Month deal today when you visit buyatoyota.com. That's buyatotoyota.com. Toyota, let's go places. I'm Jenna Fisher and I'm Angela Kinsey and we have the podcast, Office Ladies. Every Wednesday we'll be sharing even more

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