Back in June, in the 72 hours that followed the Chicago Bears’ latest failed attempt in Springfield to secure a stadium deal, many in NFL, NCAA and Illinois government circles outwardly wondered if team president Kevin Warren’s job was in jeopardy. 

And when a Bears board of directors meeting was scheduled for June 4, many different outcomes of that meeting were speculated. 

“The NFL will get more involved now,” a source with knowledge of league stadium dealings told CHGO that week. “Roger (Goodell) isn’t happy.”

Springfield sources doubted Warren would actually be fired. But the same plugged-in sources insisted the Bears needed a different representative to make any real progress in Illinois.

Enter Goodell and Bears minority owner Pat Ryan. 

CHGO previously reported the involvement of both power figures during the summer. But it was unclear if any progress was actually made. That changed Thursday when Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker revealed in a statement that all three met together in person with state lawmakers.

“The Governor’s Office has remained in conversation with the Bears about their plans in Illinois throughout the summer,” the statement said. “Today, Governor Pritzker was grateful to meet in Illinois with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, Pat Ryan, Speaker Emanuel ‘Chris’ Welch, Rep. Kam Buckner, and Sen. Bill Cunningham. 

“The Governor and the General Assembly leadership were glad to participate in a productive meeting focused on keeping the Bears in Illinois and protecting taxpayers.”

The two most notable items from that statement: 

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