Kevin Fishbain

@kfishbain.bsky.social

33033 Followers 217 Following

Senior writer at The Athletic covering the Chicago Bears. Host of "Breaking In with Kevin Fishbain," the podcast that tells the origin stories of your favorite sports media personalities.

BREAKING: Arlington Heights mayor a no-go on the Senate Bears legislation: "this is clearly a fumble for the State of Illinois," Mayor Jim Tinaglia says. Says they worked for five years to come to an agreement on PILOT fees. The future of the Bears in Illinois is clearly not looking bright.
“We will finalize our evaluation of both Arlington Heights and Hammond, and remain on the late spring/early summer timeline that we have previously communicated. We will provide an update when we have a decision to share.”
BIG DEVELOPMENT: Cunningham tells us “the proposal that the Bears have put out there does not have the support to pass,” referring to the PILOT tool, and they’re “trying to figure out if there's another way to make sure the Bears build the stadium in Illinois without using that.”
"I like his speed on tape. I like his natural instincts. I like his ability to catch the ball into traffic and his fearlessness. What he needs to do is just keep getting better. He's still young, it's still early. I mean, we'll see. But you've got a dynamic player that we like on special teams and we like on offense. This is a player that catches the ball, looks natural and he's been doing it his whole life and he's eager to be great. One of his first questions he asked me wasn't about when we started any of that kind of stuff. One of his first questions was, ‘Why, coach, do most rookies not succeed in the NFL? What holds people back?' So that told me right there about his mindset. I could go on and on about all of them. Keyshaun (Elliott) is the same way. I mean, they're all that way. Our scouting department did a phenomenal job vetting these guys."
May 1: The Bears stadium saga has entered its most critical month yet, with the spring legislative session in Springfield adjourning at month’s end. Per a source, the Bears will be expected to provide another progress update to the NFL stadium committee within the next two weeks. The next set of league meetings will be in Orlando on May 18-20 where the matter is expected to be addressed formally once again. With urging from club ownership around the league, the NFL has pushed for things to accelerate toward a conclusion soon in the Arlington Heights vs. Hammond tug-o-war. Closing in on the 5-year mark of when the Bears first bid on the AH property, the restlessness and desire for clarity is understandable. PILOT legislation, with progress in Springfield, still needs revision and alterations in the IL Senate. The volume of the ticking clock is getting louder as just about everyone pushes toward a finish line.
Breaking: The Illinois House votes 78-32 to approve a megaprojects bill that could clear the way for the Chicago Bears to build a new domed stadium in Arlington Heights. A major sign of progress, but hurdles remain. The bill goes to the Senate, where it will likely be amended.