Chicago mayor bashes Bears about potential move to suburb

Chicago Bears president Ted Phillips raised eyes Thursday when he said in a statement that the club submitted a bid to purchase the Arlington International Racecourse property located in the Chicago suburb of Arlington Heights, which is roughly 30 miles from Soldier Field. 

Per Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk, Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot reacted to the news via a statement that included a shot at those currently associated with the Bears:

"Our city is home to some of the world’s finest sports teams who have played a vital role in the city’s re-opening. As part of the city’s recovery, many organizations are doubling down on their commitment to Chicago, and we expect the Chicago Bears to follow suit. The Bears are locked into a lease at Soldier Field until 2033. In addition, this announcement from the Bears comes in the midst of negotiations for improvements at Soldier Field. This is clearly a negotiating tactic that the Bears have used before. As a season ticketholder and longtime Bears fan, I am committed to keeping the 'Chicago' name in our football team. And like most Bears fans, we want the organization to focus on putting a winning team on the field, beating the Packers finally and being relevant past October. Everything else is noise." 

While the Green Bay Packers still don't know if starting quarterback and reigning NFL Most Valuable Player Aaron Rodgers will extend his holdout through the start of training camp next month, Chicago head coach Matt Nagy continues to insist veteran signal-caller Andy Dalton will start over rookie and first-round pick Justin Fields this September. 

Perhaps Lightfoot would like to comment on Nagy's decision.