Committed to Due Diligence
2026-02-24 · Kevin Warren, President & CEO (Bears)
February 24, 2026. The Indiana House passed SB 27 by 95-4 — establishing a Northwest Indiana Stadium Authority near Wolf Lake in Hammond. The Bears issued a statement calling this 'the most meaningful step forward in our stadium planning efforts to date' and saying they were 'committed to finishing the remaining site-specific necessary due diligence' for the Hammond site. The statement was released even though no Bears representatives were in the Indiana House chamber during the vote, despite Warren and McCaskey both being in Indianapolis for the NFL Combine. Illinois HB 2789 — the property tax bill for Arlington Heights — was scheduled for a House committee hearing two days later.
What he said
[Official Bears statement, February 24–25, 2026, issued via NFL.com and multiple media outlets]
"The passage of SB 27 would mark the most meaningful step forward in our stadium planning efforts to date. We are 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. We appreciate the leadership shown by Governor Braun, Speaker Huston, Senator (Ryan) Mishler and members of the Indiana General Assembly in establishing this critical framework and path forward to deliver a premier venue for all of Chicagoland and a destination for Bears fans and visitors from across the globe. We value our partnership and look forward to continuing to build our working relationship together."
The fact-check
- "The passage of SB 27 would mark the most meaningful step forward in our stadium planning efforts to date." — Misleading
- The statement frames a procedural legislative vote as 'the most meaningful step forward' in the Bears' entire stadium search — including their three years of Chicago negotiations. This is not an objective assessment. It is leverage language. The conditional 'would mark' acknowledges the bill wasn't yet law, but the superlative framing implies a decision has been made when no deal was signed.
- "We are 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." — Misleading
- The word 'committed' in corporate communications implies a decision. Here it modifies 'finishing due diligence' — a process step, not an outcome. The Bears committed to doing homework, not to signing a deal. This language is precise enough to be defensible while broad enough to imply finality to a general audience.