BEARS WANT TO MOVE OUT TO BURBS
The Chicago Bears have submitted a bid to buy a spacious suburban horse racing track site, signaling a potential willingness to move out of downtown Soldier Field for a new stadium.
Bears President and CEO Ted Phillips announced Thursday the club wants to purchase the Arlington International Racecourse, an iconic horse track in the city of Arlington Heights. It’s about 30 miles northwest of their current lakefront venue.
“It’s our obligation to explore every possible option to ensure we’re doing what’s best for our organization and its future. If selected, this step allows us to further evaluate the property and its potential,” Phillips said in his statement.
Soldier Field is the oldest NFL stadium in operation, having opened in 1924. The Bears have only played there regularly since 1971 when they moved out of Wrigley Field — the 1914-built home of the baseball Cubs on the city’s north side — for more seating capacity. Arlington Heights was considered for a home by the Bears in the 1970s and again in the ’80s, but they settled in the popular museum campus area directly south of downtown with its view of Lake Michigan.
Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot last month noted the Bears have a lease with Soldier Field until 2033 and added “the NFL doesn’t let any teams break their leases.”
Soldier Field, which underwent a $690 million renovation in 2002 that forced the Bears to play home games at the University of Illinois in Champaign, is owned by the Chicago Park District.
The spaceship-shaped, glass-dominated addition of luxury areas and modern amenities was designed to preserve the stadium’s famous Greek and Romanesque colonnades, but the clash of styles prompted widespread criticism.
The ability of the grass playing field to hold up through the colder and wetter months has also been the subject of complaints from players and coaches over the years. Soldier Field now has a capacity of 61,500 seats for Bears games, smallest in the NFL.
The horse track, which opened in 1927, is on a 326-acre site and is currently owned by Churchill Downs, the organization that runs the Kentucky Derby. Arling ton Heights Mayor Tom Hayes said in a statement to the Daily Herald that the city welcomes the Bears’ interest in the site.
“It is a one-of-a-kind location, and we are glad that the Bears ownership sees its tremendous potential,” Hayes said.
The next-oldest stadium in the league behind Soldier Field is Green Bay’s Lambeau Field, which opened in 1957. The home of the Packers has been renovated multiple times, with major projects completed in 2003 and 2015.
Haskins starting over
Steelers quarterback Dwayne Haskins wants to put a very forgettable run with Washington in the past.
The 24-year-old is looking for the chance to start fresh and to carve out a role in a crowded quarterback room that’s headlined by two-time Super Bowl winner Ben Roethlisberger.
“Just coming here to Pittsburgh, I want to prove to the coaching staff and my teammates just how much I love football and that I’m grateful for the opportunity to be here,” Haskins said. “I want to show them that my mind is in the right place and I’m willing to work and earn a spot here.”
The Steelers signed Haskins to a futures contract in January, giving the former Washington quarterback a second chance after he flamed out in the nation’s capital in less than two seasons after being taken with the 15th pick in the 2019 draft.
Notable
Defensive lineman Jordan Willis of the 49ers was suspended without pay for the first six games of the regular season for violating the NFL’s policy on performance-enhancing substances. Willis, 26, remains eligible to participate in all offseason and preseason practices and games before beginning his suspension. Willis will be eligible to return to San Francisco’s active roster on Oct. 25 following the 49ers’ Week 7 game against Indianapolis. The first game he’d be eligible to participate in is at Chicago on Halloween.