How is Kevin Warren Still Employed?

Summary

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Podcast Summary: Dan Bernstein Unfiltered

Episode: "How is Kevin Warren Still Employed?"

Date: June 2, 2026

Host: Dan Bernstein

Guest/Producer: Russ Armstrong

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Episode Overview

This episode dives deep into the ongoing controversy surrounding Chicago Bears President & CEO Kevin Warren. Dan Bernstein and Russ Armstrong deliver a passionate, point-by-point critique of Warren's tenure, focused especially on his handling—and, in their view, sabotage—of the Bears’ stadium project. The conversation pulls no punches, combining historical context, colorful analogies, and insights from listeners. The hosts question why Warren remains employed following a project described as a "long con," and consider the dysfunctional state of Bears ownership.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Why Is Kevin Warren Still Employed? (02:20–03:28)

• Dan opens with the central question:
  "Why is [Kevin Warren] still employed as of right now? Why does he have a job ostensibly, nominally embodying and running the Chicago Bears?" (Dan Bernstein, 02:29)
• Russ confirms Warren remains employed but cannot articulate why; the conversation sets up an in-depth examination of Warren’s failures.

2. The Long Con: Warren's Chicago Bears Tenure (03:28–08:38)

• Dan confesses he "got conned" by Warren:
  "I've got to own up to the fact ... I got conned at the outset, too." (Dan Bernstein, 03:28)
• Praise is given to Danny Parkins for early skepticism about Warren.
• The first warning signs: Warren’s self-mythologizing, PR sizzle reel, and performative leadership:
  "He wakes up at 4 in the morning dreaming of cranes in the sky before he consults the Heavenly Father..." (Dan Bernstein, 06:29)
• Dan lampoons the Bears’ introductory video of Warren at Hallas Hall, likening it to "Father Merrin approaching the house in The Exorcist."
• Key Critique: Warren's entire presidency is labeled a "complete hand job", i.e., all showmanship, no substance.

3. Forensic Examination: Why The Bears Are Here (08:53–14:37)

• Deep dive into the McCaskey family’s legacy of small-minded business practices and the decades-old dysfunctions.
  "They always loved the small family business... They were always scared. They always had to be goaded into doing more... It all came from failure." (Dan Bernstein, 09:19)
• Warren's hire seen as desperate: the Bears could not self-finance a stadium.
• Accusations that Warren manufactured his own legend and ignored hard realities.

4. Stadium Project Failure & Specific Missteps (11:10–14:37)

• Warren was hired to shepherd the stadium deal, but:
  • He is falsely credited with building the Vikings’ stadium ("He didn't build that." – 11:44)
  • Led Bears on a "primrose path" to "a toxic swamp built on metal waste and iron waste and slag." (13:56)
  • Failed on coalition-building and basic political work; did not show up for key legislative sessions.

5. Lack of Trust & Sabotage (14:37–21:59)

• Russ summarizes:
  "He believed his own bullshit ... He thought he could just walk up and it's the Chicago Bears..." (Russ Armstrong, 14:37)
• Dan contrasts sports deals with real, hard political work, highlighting Warren’s failure to grasp the basics of legislative lobbying.
• Listeners and lawmakers allegedly identify Warren as a "con man".
  • Notably, State Senator Bill Cunningham's public comments are cited: "There are people in the legislature who are telling you they got conned." (Dan Bernstein, 15:55)
• Quote:
  "When a con man loses the conversation, it's over. It's over. The con is over." (Dan Bernstein, 15:45)
  • Key argument for firing: Warren has lost all trust and forced the organization to lie.

6. Organizational Fallout & Bears Leadership Failure (21:59–31:31)

• Warren is criticized for media grandstanding instead of substantive work:
  "You don't need to be on camera. You don't need to be in the locker for a regular season fucking win. You have more important things to do." (Russ Armstrong, 21:20)
• The franchise's dignity is on the line. The head of communications was stuck "wandering the hallways" in Springfield—a clear sign of executive absence.
• Russ and Dan argue George McCaskey (Bears chairman/owner) shares blame for lack of oversight, calling for board-level accountability and possibly McCaskey’s own removal.
  "George needs to step down today. It's just that simple." (Russ Armstrong, 50:53)

7. Anatomy of the Con – Listener Email Read-Aloud (40:09–48:50)

• Dan reads a lengthy listener essay ("Canuck Boy") breaking down Warren’s "conman" playbook:
  • Faked deadlines ("manufactured urgency")
  • Abandonment of Arlington Heights plans
  • Impossible promises (the lakefront dome)
  • The Indiana "gambit" as leverage
  • Betrayal of McCaskey family trust
  • "A con man doesn’t need to steal money. Sometimes the con is stealing time and trust and opportunity...” (Listener Email Read by Dan Bernstein, ~47:00)
• The conclusion: Warren delivered three years of pivots, phantom deadlines, missed opportunities, and burned bridges.

8. Political and Civic Responsibility (31:27–38:45, 55:00–56:17)

• Dan forcefully rejects claims that Illinois politicians are to blame for the stadium debacle: "I think politicians did their job. I don't want my money used to help a billionaire." (Dan Bernstein, 33:59)
  • Praises the state for refusing public subsidies to the Bears.
  • Points out that the Bears’ business failings—not "blue politics"—lie at the heart of the crisis.

9. Final Take – The Bears' Lowest Point (54:00–70:02)

• Both hosts firmly declare this is the "lowest point ever of the Chicago Bears organization."
  "You don't have a stadium. You don't have a plan for a stadium. … This is a tragedy." (Dan Bernstein, 54:05)
• Mock the absurdity of the current “plan”:
  • “We have an update from Hammond. It's still a swamp.” (Dan Bernstein, 67:00)
• Reiterate that every day Warren remains, the Bears lose more credibility:
  "Why are you still here? What do you do? Why are you still allowed to do it? Why hasn't someone told you that we now know you're a con man?" (Dan Bernstein, 69:26)

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Notable Quotes & Timestamps

• On Warren’s Tenure:
  "His entire run, every moment of his administration... has been a complete hand job."
  – Dan Bernstein, 07:40

• On the Con:
  "When a con man loses the conversation, it's over. It's over. The con is over. Bears fans got conned."
  – Dan Bernstein, 15:45

• On Board Responsibility:
  "If those other five members of the board aren't saying Kevin Warren's going and then forcing George to step down, I don't know what they're doing."
  – Russ Armstrong, 50:15

• On What Fans Should Think:
  "Every day that he is standing there and is with his orange tie or after games, con."
  – Dan Bernstein, 69:26

• On the Failure’s Magnitude:
  "It's the lowest point ever of the Chicago Bears organization, Dan. I mean, let that sink in."
  – Russ Armstrong, 54:21

• On Ownership and Accountability:
  "George needs to step down today. It's just that simple."
  – Russ Armstrong, 50:53

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Additional Memorable Moments

• Listener “Canuck Boy” Essay:
  A detailed, scathing user submission anatomizing Warren’s tactics as classic con artistry (~40:09–48:50).
• Running Joke:
  Updates from “Hammond” declaring it's still a "toxic swamp" (67:00).
• Colorful Imagery:
  The infamous Bears sizzle reel with Warren’s pre-dawn, cinematic pomposity; repeated references to "cranes in the sky," "Father Merrin," and "toxic swamp filled with farts."

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Timestamps for Key Segments

| Segment | Timestamps | |-----------------------------------------------|-------------------| | Main Question Introduced | 02:20–02:52 | | Deep Dive: “The Con” & Bears Dysfunction | 03:28–08:38 | | Stadium Project Failures | 11:10–14:37 | | Sabotage & Loss of Trust | 14:37–21:59 | | Leadership and Ownership Crisis | 21:59–31:31 | | Politicians Did Their Job | 31:27–38:45 | | Listener’s "Con Man" Essay Read-Aloud | 40:09–48:50 | | Calls for Firing Warren & Stepping Down George| 50:00–52:10 | | Lowest Point: Final Lament | 54:00–70:02 |

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Overall Tone & Language

• Aggressively blunt, deeply frustrated, often sardonic.
• Heavy use of sports and pop culture analogies.
• No-nonsense, conversational, with vulgarity and humor for emphasis.
• Full-throated advocacy for accountability—no sugarcoating.

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Conclusion

Dan Bernstein and Russ Armstrong use this episode to issue a scathing, forensic takedown of Kevin Warren’s presidency, arguing he has irreparably damaged the Bears’ future with a mixture of self-delusion, showmanship, and basic incompetence. The hosts insist the ownership’s inability to act—especially George McCaskey’s—compounds the disaster. They reject lazy scapegoating of politicians, laying blame squarely on Bears management. Their repeated refrain: Kevin Warren must be fired immediately to restore even a modicum of credibility, or else the Bears’ business will remain mired—literally and figuratively—in a swamp.

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This summary covers all substantive content and omits advertisements and unrelated banter. For fans, critics, or anyone invested in the Bears’ long-term trajectory, this episode is required listening—or, with this summary, essential reading.

Transcript

[Dan Bernstein]

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[Russ Armstrong]

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[Dan Bernstein]

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[Russ Armstrong]

Dan Bernstein Unfiltered Unfiltered on 312Sports

[Dan Bernstein]

DBU on 312 is brought to you by Russ Armstrong and Chicago window guys. Call 847-302-9171. Check out the five star reviews at ChicagoNowGuys.com and we are brought to you in partnership with my bookie. Why are you already looking at me?

[Russ Armstrong]

I'm not. I'm supposed to look at you. No, you're talking to each other. I'm looking at you.

[Dan Bernstein]

No, no, no. There's something you know that I don't.

[Russ Armstrong]

There's not.

[Dan Bernstein]

You did something with the open.

[Russ Armstrong]

I did not.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah, you did.

[Russ Armstrong]

I did not.

[Dan Bernstein]

Okay?

[Russ Armstrong]

Nothing was done except you fiddling with your microphone. That's all we heard before the open started. Because you're not talking anymore before the open starts. It's annoying.

[Dan Bernstein]

Sorry. Why is and is can we confirm right now that Kevin Warren is still employed?

[Russ Armstrong]

He is employed. I have not heard any. Why?

[Dan Bernstein]

Why is he still employed as of right now? Why does he have a job ostensibly nominally Embodying and running the Chicago Bears.

[Russ Armstrong]

Why?

[Dan Bernstein]

What, what is he doing? What has he been doing? How long has it been? Was it January of 23?

[Russ Armstrong]

So this will be January 20?

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah. Three and a half years. Three and a half years. Everything was building to this. And I use the word building, and not as a double meaning, but everything was building to the most important moment in the state legislature in the history of the Chicago Bears franchise for their own massive mega project, domed, mixed use entertainment district. All of it built up to Sunday night. And he fucked it up.

[Russ Armstrong]

Yep.

[Dan Bernstein]

And you know what he's done. What has happened? How can you keep this guy here? And I'm not asking that rhetorically, because I'm gonna tell you there are concrete reasons why you have to launch him. He walked you down this primrose path from the moment he came in here. And this is the other thing, too. I've got to own up to the fact, and I will do it right here, right now. I got conned at the outset, too. I got conned. You know how I will give. I'll give a lot of credit to Danny. Parkins sniffed it out. And I remember that day when he got hired. And Parkins is like, it's still an executive. It's not gonna change that much. He still has bosses. He may do business a little differently. He'll hire some people, he'll fire some people. And he's a great talker. And I knew his reputation. I knew from everybody who. The first wave that came through, and now that I understand the way a con man works is he knows how that first wave of publicity is going to work. And the moment it started to smell rotten to me, and I explained this yesterday, that they had me for the announcement, I was surprised the Bears were able to land somebody of his fame and stature and resume. I was surprised. And he was brought here. And every time, boy, this is. This is going to be for the stadium and then he's going to parlay this into who knows what. But boy, the Bears have never had somebody like this. And I was giving credit to the Bears for knowing that they were bad at representing themselves and bad at running their business, frankly, because that, that, that backstops a lot of this whole problem. They haven't made enough money. They're charter franchise the NFL. They're not worth enough because they haven't. They've never expanded their business. They can't just cut a check and build a stadium like Stan Kroenke, which is ideally what you do say, there's land we bought the land. Now we're gonna build a stadium like Joe Mansueto's doing for the Fire. They can't do it. They don't have enough money. They've never built their business. They're bad at it. They're bad at business, they're bad at football. They're weird. So they said, okay, let's get this guy. I'm like, okay, that's a reasonable hire. It's a pretty good hire. Then all the stuff started happening with Kevin Warren. The biographical stuff, the fact that he put out his various Boswells, his WW Beauchamps, to begin crafting this hagiography and telling this whole story. It was all him and him and him and his story and his Bible. And he wakes up at 4 in the morning dreaming of cranes in the sky before he consults the Heavenly Father to bring what's best to the Chicago Bears. You know, it was sent to me by a friend, and I suggest you watch it. Go watch the sizzle reel the Bears put out about Kevin Warren's first day on the job. You want a belly laugh? You want to just point at a screen and roar. You want to do the Rick Ross gif that Jason Goff made famous on social media, that hearty, full laugh laugh of understanding, the deeply entertained laugh, even sardonically. Watch that sizzle reel. That's the one when Kevin Warren looks like Max Von Syto as Father Marin approaching the home of Reagan McNeil and standing bathed in that eerie streetlight. It's 4:30 in the morning in the dark, and Kevin Warren stands and looks at the statue of George Hallis outside of Halas hall, and he makes some sort of solemn nod to the Halas statue while a team of producers and camera people and audio people are all behind him, recording everything. It's a complete hand job. And so is Kevin Warren, by the way. Complete hand job. And now we know it is made manifest for everybody involved. This has been a complete hand job his entire run, every moment of his administration. And he looks at that George Hallis statue as if it's some sort of sacred moment If. If George Hallis were alive to see this, if that statue could come to life. As I watch it now, that statue would repeatedly kick Kevin Warren in the ball sack over and over and over again if that statue knew what was going on.

[Russ Armstrong]

All right, so you asked the question, why is Kevin Warren still here?

[Dan Bernstein]

Why.

[Russ Armstrong]

Why is he not launching?

[Dan Bernstein]

How can he not be launched?

[Russ Armstrong]

So let me ask you this.

[Dan Bernstein]

I'm just setting up my okay.

[Russ Armstrong]

Because I want you to explain. Why are the Bears where they're at today?

[Dan Bernstein]

That's the forensic examination. Why they're at today is all in large part due to their own failures and unwinding the weirdness of the McCaskey family and the running of the Bears. That is not just a book. That's a series of books. You're gonna need one book on the psychology, one book on the times in which. Cause you're talking a century here. You're talking a century of the NFL. Of where the American economy has gone and why and what has happened around the city of Chicago with making business friends and acquaintances and putting yourself out there as a business ra. Than this cloistered, cobwebbed mansion on a hill where the crazy, weird rich people are living behind the curtains. There's a whole story there, sure. But they just never built their business. They always loved the small family business. I go back to old Hallis hall and where their comfort zone and what they liked as a family, what they wanted as a family. And they were always scared. They always had to be goaded into doing more or embarrassed into doing more or shamed into doing more. It all came from failure. They had to fail. They had to screw up this stadium deal. They had to screw up hiring a coach to make a change. They always have to be reminded of how behind they are. But I'm getting off the focus here of the long con that was played on everybody and why Kevin Warren cannot remain the figurehead of the Bears. The godhead of the Bears. Yeah, that's what I meant.

[Russ Armstrong]

Their most recent history. Not looking at the examination of the McCaskey family since George Hallis has died and gone. You can examine all that. But they hired Kevin Warren just over

[Dan Bernstein]

three years ago to get this done.

[Russ Armstrong]

He was brought in to build a stadium. Why are there. Why are they at the position that they're in right now? Just about stadium stuff. Kevin Warren stuff. Why are they there today?

[Dan Bernstein]

Because of the numerous missteps outlined yesterday. And I'll do this again. But where we are now. You say where are we now?

[Russ Armstrong]

Yes.

[Dan Bernstein]

Kevin Warren. If you look at this as literally to where has Kevin Warren led the Bears? He's the lead. He was brought in to lead.

[Russ Armstrong]

He built the stadium in Minnesota. Why isn't there a stadium built here in Chicago?

[Dan Bernstein]

He brought in to lead them to this and to do this. And here is this beautiful building in Minnesota. You can talk about the. First of all, he didn't build that.

[Russ Armstrong]

Correct.

[Dan Bernstein]

That was a myth.

[Russ Armstrong]

Correct.

[Dan Bernstein]

And second of all, there's quibbling about the deal. It's a gorgeous stadium in the city, though. That's what it is. It ended up being a beautiful stadium in the city. If you don't like how it's paid for, well, then nobody wants to hear from you. When Kevin Warren's writing his resume, he led them to a toxic swamp that if, in fact, say what's left as of today. Where has Kevin Warren led the Bears? And if you picture him like Moses and he is leading the flock behind him. Follow me. Follow me. Follow Kevin Warren. And here he stands. Where are we, Moses? Ha ha. The land of milk and honey. And he points out and what are. And that doesn't smell like honey. That smells like bratwurst farts. Where are we? You're in Hammond, Indiana. Ha ha. I've done it. He led them to a toxic swamp built on metal waste and iron waste and slag and covered with literal human shape. He led. That's where he led you. And you haven't fired him yet. And he. And he had every chance. They hired advisors and vice presidents, and they've got 15 communications people. He didn't show up to Springfield. He couldn't even have been bothered to be there. How about some of his vice presidents, all these people he's hired? Well, he didn't want to listen to lobbyists. We know that everybody advising him. That was also a red flag from, like, the first couple of months that he wasn't listening to. He was Kevin Warren, he doesn't need your advice. He is the Chicago Bears. He's driven by the power of God. That was invoked at his first press conference there. This is not just a community effort. This was a holy effort. Right?

[Russ Armstrong]

I think two things that went wrong with Kevin Warren. I think, number one, he believed his own bullshit. And number two, Dan, he believes his own bullshit. He believed his own bullshit. But number two, I think he thought he could just walk up and it's the Chicago Bears.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yes.

[Russ Armstrong]

I can just say, hey, the Chicago Bears want X, Y and Z. I

[Dan Bernstein]

can pull this string. I can pull that string. As I said to start the show yesterday, politics is work. It's hard. It's work. It's coalition building. It's vote counting. And if he wants to talk about the DJ Moore trade, football trades are easy. Easy. They're a joke. They're so easy. Compared to real political trading and dealing with crafting legislation, that's not sexy. It's not fun. It's hard work. And it's not just about people following you around with cameras and talking about cranes in the sky and shovels in the ground. And I will say too, if you heard Bill Cunningham interviewed on the Score, there are a lot of questions that I would have asked that weren't part of that. I will say. But if you want to hear a state senate leader telling you what needs to be said about Kevin Warren and how difficult he made this and the number of miscalculations and what they could and couldn't trust, the reason why Kevin Warren has to be fired is no, nobody trusts him, number one. And this I wanna say too, there was an outpouring of comments from yesterday's show still coming in as we speak. And I don't like to respond to individual comments, but I do try to identify certain trends, themes in the emails. And I love, love, love. One of the things I love about my new job as opposed to my old one is that you take the time to email and I really appreciate it. And whether you agree or disagree, whether you agree or disagree, you take the time to put your name on it and email. I love that and I appreciate that. And it is different than lazy anonymous feedback where I can't distinguish because I can't trust that I can't distinguish that from bots and Astroturf stuff and all that. But when you have your name and your email address and you take that time, it's not lazy and I do appreciate it. But Kevin Warren this entire time has traded on a level of trust that's gone. When a con man loses the conversation, it's over. It's over. The con is over. Bears fans got conned. There are people in the legislature who are telling you they got conned. That's what Bill Cunningham just told you. He said so publicly this morning. Listen to what he said about how we didn't know what they were focused on. They said they were focused on this and then they're focused on this and then he's back channeling communications while the Bears and George McCaskey are telling the governor one thing and telling the league one thing, and Kevin Warren isn't even telling them what he's doing and going behind the scenes. And then the Bears have to lie and that he, he made the organization lie. That's another reason why you have to be fired. The organization, the Bears organization had to come out and deny that the back channel communication had anything to do with the stadium. The organization had to lie for you. You're fired. You let us, after all this, after three and a half Years. We stand at the precipice of glory for the next hundred years of Chicago Bears. Where are you going to build on a toxic swamp of human shit where nobody lives and it's impossible to get to from the airport. That's. That's what this has produced. That's what, after all, everything. And you still own the land. We're gonna sell that off now. You saw how off everybody was at that Arlington Heights board meeting last night. So pissed off the mayor was. How hard they were. Five years. Five years they worked on this pilot Bill, and Kevin Warren screwed it all up.

[Russ Armstrong]

Yeah. It's more important to note that not only did he force George McCaskey the Bears to lie, but then he sabotaged. Actively, actively sabotaged the work not only that they had done, but they were at the precipice of creating something. They had it and he sabotaged it.

[Dan Bernstein]

He fucked it up. One person fucked it up.

[Russ Armstrong]

No, it's fucked up can equate a mistake. An error was made. He actively sabotaged what they were doing. That's a lot different than fucked up or making a mistake or an error.

[Dan Bernstein]

And that was made very clear. And there's something that.

[Russ Armstrong]

That's actively sinking the work that you've

[Dan Bernstein]

done and other people and your bosses and the reason why you were h. And I don't know why there's such unwillingness to call out something this obvious that's right in front of us. This is right in front of us. He cannot represent your team anymore. It's. The jig is up.

[Russ Armstrong]

I don't understand.

[Dan Bernstein]

The con is over. And at various times, I think. I think I'm. I fell for it. But I was good after like two days. It took me about two days to wake up and realized, hold on a second, this is this guy. This guy's full of shit. And I think. And we said it as quickly as we could. And I remember arguing with Dan Weider about it when there was all this access journalism stuff about showing him. Look at Kevin Warren with his Bible. Oh, I get up every day. I don't even need an alarm clock. And then I think about cranes in the sky and I wash my car and I think about the Bears. It's complete monorail salesman, music man. Get the band together. Harold Hill, cartoon con man. Snake oil.

[Russ Armstrong]

Yeah. And I wasn't involved in sports radio until we get back into doing this last year, nine months ago, together. So I've had no thoughts about Kevin Warren. Didn't follow it. Didn't really care as a Bears Fan watching the games on Sunday and doing this now for the last nine months, I saw all I needed to see with Kevin Warren in post game stuff. You don't need to be on camera. You don't need to be in the locker for a regular season fucking win. You have more important things to do. That's all I needed to learn about him. And then this draft, this past draft, seeing him on the phone again. Where's the stadium being built?

[Dan Bernstein]

Dude, the, the, well, the.

[Russ Armstrong]

What's happening with that?

[Dan Bernstein]

And I went back off the phone,

[Russ Armstrong]

get out of the locker room and do your fucking job.

[Dan Bernstein]

How about Hard Knocks? When there had to be a scene of him. Are we going to put high boy tables up here? Like he was already build the stadium, decorating it at that point. He was talking about which chairs, which chairs, the number of details. When you look at this through the prism of the con, it all starts to make more sense. He must be fired or nobody is going to listen to anything the Bears say about anything. It's over. We know now this whole thing, all the money that's been spent. He didn't go to Springfield. You know who was in Springfield? You know, the Bears representative was standing there wandering the hallways. Scott Hagel. I love Scott. Scott was a PR intern when I started on the beat.

[Russ Armstrong]

Dealt with Scott a ton of times. Great guy.

[Dan Bernstein]

Scott is a good guy.

[Russ Armstrong]

Did a lot of good work with us and helped us.

[Dan Bernstein]

He's the senior comms vp.

[Russ Armstrong]

Yeah.

[Dan Bernstein]

He's not a politician, he's not a lobbyist, he's not a he, he isn't a legislator. That's your representative on the most important day, one of the most important days in the history of the franchise. And Kevin Warren wasn't even there. Where was he? Why wasn't he there? What's happening? Who's representing the Bears at this critical juncture? Who's actually there buttonholing people doing the work? Because he never did the work. There wasn't anything to close out. He never did it. Even though with lobbyists next to him saying, hey, Kevin, we gotta work this block here. We've gotta go get some votes here. We gotta shore this up. We might wanna trade off something here to get these. We've gotta build a coalition to get the votes. That's how this works. And there's a couple other things I want to get to here. Bill on Capitol Hill emailed this when I was talking about emails before I got misdirected. And Bill from Capitol Hill, I think summed it up really well. And that is the reason why Warren has to be fired is that not enough people fire believed him in three and a half years, not enough people believed him. That's the first part. And not enough people are going to believe him going forward. Let's say Illinois politics happens, they resurrect some version of pilot or they resurrect the other deal, the Jerry World deal that mirrors the Indiana offer and they get something done. Who builds it? Who do you actually trust now that they've wasted not just three and a half years, but in building costs? Billions. Billions. The Bears themselves, whoever ends up ponying up the money for this, whatever outside investor they go private equity or they want to do. Billions have been frittered away here. Billions. You trust him to build. He didn't build the one in Minnesota. Right. He didn't do that. Right.

[Russ Armstrong]

So you're going to have this guy oversee this project. Let's say that a miracle happens, Dan, and tomorrow there's a deal struck and they're Arlington House.

[Dan Bernstein]

That's what I just said.

[Russ Armstrong]

Right? So, yeah, you get that done. So he's the guy to oversee now.

[Dan Bernstein]

This is the. He's still standing by the toxic swamp on the human shit. That's where he is. Your Chicago Bears, Kevin Warren has led you, literally, literally the man led you into a swamp. Now, if you're George McCaskey, you've got a decision to make right now. Do you turn around and say, well, how did we get here? And Kevin's like, ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha is a man. That's enough of you.

[Russ Armstrong]

See, that's the bigger problem.

[Dan Bernstein]

That's enough.

[Russ Armstrong]

Because if George McCasney has to ask the question, well, how did we get here? That's a bigger problem.

[Dan Bernstein]

Well, and here's the other thing too. George wasn't in Springfield either.

[Russ Armstrong]

Correct.

[Dan Bernstein]

So, so correct is the question. Is, is Kevin in Springfield? Is he there? No. Why not? And when you, when you hear that he's not, get your own ass there. Right, George?

[Russ Armstrong]

Yeah.

[Dan Bernstein]

You gotta fix this. You must fix this. You can't hide behind Ben Johnson's success anymore. The, the having the, the, the wunderkind coach and the hot coach, the hot quarterback that only goes so far. This is a lesson in the separation between the football and the real shit. This is, this is the, this is real. This is real. This was real. This last three and a half years was real. And you got nothing out of it because you got conned. And every day that he stays on the job is another day that The Chicago Bears lose complete credibility. And if I were Roger Goodell, I'd be on the phone right now with George saying, hey, explain what happened. Why did it happen? Under your leadership, Ostensible leadership, but you have to hire this guy, Joe Robbie. Leadership. Who's running this?

[Russ Armstrong]

You know, I have a, I have a question in the whole idea of the sabotage of this project by going back the back channels and talking to the mayor and the city of Chicago and saying, hey, there's a possibility here. I want to know. And then asking for an answer. Just the question I have. What was he gaining from this? What? No, because then, Dan, he's a, he's a, he's a con man. He was making a deal and a conversation. What was he, what was he to gain by engaging Chicago again and saying there's a possibility? What was he going to get out of it? I want to find that out. I want to. I can't wait to know what that conversation was. And here's the thing.

[Dan Bernstein]

Because he probably knew it was slipping away at that point. Or thought. Or thought. Because like you say, he believes his own stuff.

[Russ Armstrong]

Yes.

[Dan Bernstein]

That maybe, maybe he thought he was going to end up pulling a rabbit out of his hat and saying some last minute 11th hour deal where he was gonna play politics and emerge and he wasn't there. But had he gone to Springfield and tap danced his way and come out and said, ha, ha, surprise, we've got a deal to stay in Chicago. And everybody's gotta love not knowing. You know, friends of the Parks would be like, you know, you don't. But I don't know what he was thinking. Has anybody asked him, where is he? Has anyone talked to him? Why can't. Go stand in front of some microphones? Where's Kevin Warren? Where is he today? Go stand in front of some microphones. There's reporters there like he. You have to launch him. You cannot continue to do business with him. This spectacularly showing his individual incompetence and, and when. That not enough people believed him. Not enough people believed him. I don't believe you. I don't believe you. I don't think you're telling the truth. I don't believe you. That was the response he's getting.

[Russ Armstrong]

I know, and it's great. And not enough people believed him. But here's the thing. There's one person that did, and it goes above Kevin Warren, and I don't have a good answer for it. But here's the deal. George McCaskey needs to step away.

[Dan Bernstein]

Well, he, he Thought he did.

[Russ Armstrong]

He. No, he cannot be in charge anymore.

[Dan Bernstein]

Well, that. See, I. That's not.

[Russ Armstrong]

But he can't though, that.

[Dan Bernstein]

That you can't fight that battle because. I know, but who are they going to point. But. But he's the owner who's taking over from here. That's. That. That's a sell the team argument.

[Russ Armstrong]

It's not a sell. There's got to be someone in that fucking building that has an actual thought in their brain about how to run a football organization.

[Dan Bernstein]

That's. That's why they, that's why they hired Warren, because they don't have that.

[Russ Armstrong]

It's a small, cute story to tell about the third day of the draft and George is out umping high school baseball games. It's cute. He doesn't care enough about the business.

[Dan Bernstein]

Well, he can't be the guy making

[Russ Armstrong]

the decisions below him that impact everything about the Bears organization. Well, you. He hired Kevin Warren.

[Dan Bernstein]

You screwed up this hire. You screwed it up badly.

[Russ Armstrong]

That Kevin Warren sabotaged the Bears organization and George let him sit. He should have been fired then.

[Dan Bernstein]

Well, I thought there was a possibility.

[Russ Armstrong]

In fact, when George found out that Kevin created backdoor channels to have conversations with people in Chicago and then they lied.

[Dan Bernstein]

And then the organization came on and said, well, and then they lied on his behalf. They lied to cover it. And then that was shattered when Bill Cunningham goes, oh, no, no. There were multiple meetings. And it wasn't just lawyers.

[Russ Armstrong]

Should have fired him the second he found out he did that.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yep,

[Russ Armstrong]

there's no one in charge. That's the problem.

[Dan Bernstein]

I will also respond to the theme of some of the pushback. That was a lot of the same thing. It's not why you blaming Warren. It's all your Democrats. It's all your blue politics. I think the politicians did their job.

[Russ Armstrong]

And let me, yes, please get into this.

[Dan Bernstein]

I think the. Let me. Let me first just say every sports fan has an angle and should. Whether it's, you know, the team you trust and the favorite you might want to fade, or the player you think is due something you feel in a game live before everyone else sees it. And that's where my bookie comes in, because my bookie gives you a place to turn the opinions into action. And that's whether you're watching the playoffs now or you're getting ready for the World cup this summer. It's going to be fun soon. Our promo code, DBU for Dan Bernstein. Unfiltered. Use that when you sign up and you can claim an exclusive offer. Just because you're listening. See? And then you back your team before the game. Or you can get in that live bet and make the moments you already care about feel bigger. And that's the real reason to check out my bookie. You're already watching. You already have a take, and now you've got a place to play it. Bet anything, anytime, anywhere with my bookie. Must be 21 plus. Please gamble responsibly. Every day as a small business owner feels like solving a puzzle. One moment you're cruising along and the next there's a shipping snag that has you scrambling. But here's a surprise you will like with Progressive. Small business owners save 13% on their commercial auto insurance when they pay in full. So go ahead, surprise yourself. Get a quote in as little as 8 [e-mail] progressive casualty insurance company and affiliates. Discounts not available in all states or situations. Ever wonder who's out there making the world go round? It's truckers. Who unites baristas with coffee beans. Truckers. Who unites dogs with their favorite chew toy? Truckers. That's why Progressive offers truckers even more protection with cargo plus coverage to keep truckers moving right along. Quote Truck insurance today in as little as 8 [e-mail] Progressive Casualty Insurance Company and affiliates. Coverage subject to policy terms, limits and conditions not yet available in California, New York and Virginia. And I do know that a lot of the discourse is oddly polarized and poisoned. But I'm gonna speak to you as a citizen and as a resident of Chicago, right?

[Russ Armstrong]

Take the blue and the red out of it. Take all the bullshit that we've seen.

[Dan Bernstein]

As a resident of ch the city proper, a resident of Cook county, resident of Illinois, I think politicians did their job. I don't want my money used to help a billionaire. And I think the governor also understands that the way the winds are blowing for his ambitions, being the governor that loses the Bears, which I still don't think he's going to be. But he had to. He had to look at that possibility and say, and his advisors, who are very smart and very expensive, had to say to him, jb, you're running for president at some point. Might not be this cycle. But look, every speech you're giving is nationalized. You know, your name's getting mentioned out there. There's certainly at the moment, nothing that's saying he's not going to run this year or this cycle. It is gonna be much better for you to run on not giving the citizens money away to sports billionaires than it is saying the Bears moved a few miles that way. They've made that calculus already. They figured that out. Otherwise he would not be doing this. So that's part of it. And that tells you something about the electorate. That tells you about what they realize now in this current climate what likely voters would say. He's gonna run on it. He will run on the. I held my ground against a sports billionaire and as a citizen, I love it. Why aren't you blaming. You know why? You know why? I'm not blaming anybody else. It's not their job. It's the job of elected politicians to be stewards of my money. It's not their job to dole out dollars that take away from everything else to give to a team that only needs it because they haven't run their business correctly in 100 years. That they never made enough money as the owners of the Bears because they didn't know how this family has had terrible business since. So why did you blame the politicians? Because I'm pleased with the politicians. And if the Bears want to go somewhere else and go to another state and take other people's money and soak somebody else with the con, go ahead. I got a problem with that. I don't care. Like personally, if you want to spend another billion dollars remediating a toxic swamp and delay it for another 10 years, you can stay in Soldier Field for a while. You don't have to go anywhere. I don't care. Doesn't matter to me. I watch on TV still a Bears game to me doesn't change anything. But the politicians were doing the right thing. And even the Chicago politicians who after the Kevin Warren sabotage, after that the Chicago position, like wait a second, if we're still alive in this and you, Kevin Warren, you're telling us we're still alive and now we're going to support, we're going to vote against that chance? No, that's what catalyzed that whole thing, right? They would have had it had there not been that back channel outreach that they grabbed onto that the mayor in Chicago and understanding what's happened, they grabbed onto that. They're like hey, hold on a second. We'd rather have it here. And if you are telling you're Kevin Warren, you're the Bears, you're telling us, hey, this could fall through. Okay, well we'll make it fall through then, right?

[Russ Armstrong]

How many members of that voting body are in the city?

[Dan Bernstein]

A lot. Enough. That's what Cunningham said today.

[Russ Armstrong]

That's what signed the deal now to go back to your people and say, oh, we voted for this, even though we knew there's a chance, but we voted for it to leave.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yep. No, they're not gonna have to answer

[Russ Armstrong]

to the people that vote for them.

[Dan Bernstein]

That was the point. And they were saying, okay, well, maybe we'll. Maybe we'll keep it. We'll stick around. We don't have anything to lose. It's not on our clock. Sure. We still get a shot at this. Okay, then we'll wait. We're not gonna. But the Bears had represented to the state and to the league because they didn't know all that was going. They didn't know that their own president, by doing all this back channeling, sabotaged it.

[Russ Armstrong]

Should have been fired right there.

[Dan Bernstein]

Fired. This isn't hard. This is not a hot take. This is not controversial. This is gross mismanagement, malpractice. These efforts that apparently were completely off the books. That without George McCaskey, who did what? I was busy umpiring. Let me go over here and take my clicker off my belt and undust my shoes. What happened? Well, Kevin Warren, without knowing you've been telling all this stuff everybody else, he's been talking with the city and telling them they're still alive and there's still a chance if this all falls through. Like the moment I hear that, Kevin, you're fired.

[Russ Armstrong]

Right. You call them, you have a conversation, you get face to face.

[Dan Bernstein]

Gone. Gone.

[Russ Armstrong]

What did you do?

[Dan Bernstein]

Take that orange tie off and bring everything in your desk with you and

[Russ Armstrong]

then you fire him immediately.

[Dan Bernstein]

You fire him and all the vice presidents he hired.

[Russ Armstrong]

Right?

[Dan Bernstein]

This is insanity.

[Russ Armstrong]

Right. And that shows those politicians that took their vote from Arlington Heights to say, hey, there's a chance in Chicago if he is a leader and acts like a leader and fires the guy who sabotaged the entire plan, those politicians say,

[Dan Bernstein]

oh, now the Bears are serious.

[Russ Armstrong]

This is for real. Yeah. There is no chance here to be in Chicago. So what's the next best thing? What should we do?

[Dan Bernstein]

And you shouldn't have to have him. Kevin Moore. He's like, come on, Bears. Bears fans. Follow me. Follow me to glory. Come with me. I shall lead you. Kevin, you're leading us to a place that smells bad. Haha. Don't worry, it's all viable. It's fine. Ignore that smell. It's a con. He led you to a toxic swamp. How do you feel? How'd this work? Now, a listener wrote up a piece on this and I was reading this right before I went to bed last night. And it's from a longtime guy who's gone by the name of Canuck Boy. And I was reading this, I sent him a note and I said, dude, you have to post this because it's too good to not be widely read. It's too good. And he broke this down and he said, I'm not sure this will ever make it on Friday Feedback Friday. But this is therapy for me. If you don't mind, may I? Because I think this is pretty special and worth the time. And dammit, this show's got my name on it and I can do what I want. I don't know why I'm asking permission. The term con man, he writes, is shorthand for confidence man. Someone who gains the trust of others through charm, manufactured credibility and carefully constructed promises and then uses that trust to advance his own agenda. The con man doesn't need to lie about everything. In fact, the best ones mix truth with misdirection so skillfully that by the time the Marx realized what happened, the conman has already moved on to his next place. The classic Kahn has identifiable stages establish credibility, make the pitch, manufacture urgency, string along the marks when things stall, and crucially, never be accountable when your promises evaporate. By every measure that matters, Kevin Warren has run this play on virtually everyone connected to the Chicago Bear stadium saga. The McCasky family hired Warren because they thought they were getting a savvy politician and a stadium builder Big Ten commissioner involved in the Vikings project. On paper, that's the man for the job. The focus had shifted toward building a stadium next to Soldier Field after he was hired as president. Now, here starts the con. Warren was hired to deliver a stadium. What he delivered was three years of pivots, phantom deadlines and open letters that read more like hostage notes than business plans. Con number abandoning Arlington Heights the moment he arrived. Bears had done the hard work. The $5 billion plan for Arlington Heights restaurants, retail and more. Finalizing the purchase. 326 acres. The team owns the land. The plans in place, Warren's job executed instead. At an owner's meeting, Warren declared his intentions on keeping the team stadium on the lakefront. Quote, the plan will be to put a shovel on the ground on the lakefront. The entire organization pivoted toward a lakefront dome adjacent to Soldier Field, abandoning Arlington Heights. Ownership spent years and $200 million building toward it without any guarantee the lakefront was viable. And it wasn't, and it never was. The lakefront site protected by the public trust doctrine of the 1973 Lakefront Protection Ordinance. Friends of the Parks had already beaten George Lucas in federal court over the exact same Bartle of land, and Warren didn't either. Didn't or didn't care. Con Number 2 the Lakefront Circus April 2024 on the eve of the 2024 NFL Draft, Warren held a news conference declaring building a new dome adjacent to Soldier Field was the Bears preferred option. Deliberate timing, maximum media attention, fan excitement. He called the south lot the most beautiful piece of property in the United states. Asked for 2.4 billion in public subsidies, Pritzker called it a non starter. Chris Welch said the vote would fail. The legal obstacles from Friends of the Parks immediate and predictable. Warren knew the proposal was going nowhere before he stood at the podium, but made the pitch anyway, knowing it would fail. Con NUMBER three Fake urgency. Warren deployed manufactured deadlines as a pressure tactic. Said repeatedly wanted to break ground. December 31st of 2025 in August of 2025, he said the Bears are ready now to build in Arlington Heights. Shovels on the ground by the end of 2025. That didn't happen. So the deadlines passed and nothing to show. What did Warren do? Reset the clock. Announced a new timeline. Textbook con artistry. Urgency is the con man's best friend. It prevents Marx from stopping to think clearly. Bears fans, city officials, state legislators perpetually told the moment of decision right now, while Warren quietly moved the goalposts. Con number four the Indiana gambit played on everyone at once. December 2025 Warren's open letter to fans announcing the Bears would expand their search to include Indiana, saying this is not about leverage, which was a tell. He declared the Bears would look outside Cook county and it rained on what was supposed to be the most thrilling week of the most exciting year the Bears have had since 2018. He dropped the Indiana bomb during packers week and that wasn't an accident. And Cam Buckner called him out for constant, tone deaf decisions to announce these stadium updates during important events. The deeper con was what followed after the Indiana announcement. The Bears released a statement applauding Indiana for passing a bill intended to fund a new stadium district in Hammond. That caught Springfield by surprise. Remember, many viewed it as a tasteless move by Warren. Warren wasn't even present at the meeting with Illinois state officials where they mostly agreed on a bill and governor Pritzker said Warren chose to not be in that meeting. So he's running a play in Indiana Illinois simultaneously and got caught doing it by his own boss. That was the first time he Got caught. Con number five, selling the McCaskeys the bill of goods. That's the irony is that his most successful con was on the family that hired him. Reports say the McCaskey family is very, very angry. They felt the man sold him a bill of goods because three months later, nothing's changed. They own the land. They haven't made any progress. It's gotten so bad that they're threatening to leave Illinois for the first time in a century because Warren bungled it. Warren hired all these lobbyists, was told over and over again what to do and didn't listen. He ignored their advice. When he was surrounded by people who knew how Springfield worked. He said the roster of the people Warren is misled is remarkable. Bears fans sold world class lakefront dome legally impossible pristine Arlington Heights campus 2025 groundbreaking Indiana might be the home announced during the most important game week of the year. The city invested political capital for a plan Warren knew was untenable. Illinois legislate later spent all this time and political energy financing packages when he's skipping the meetings in Springfield. Indiana officials moved quickly, passed legislation, authorized a billion taxpayer dollars for a team that as of April 2026, couldn't say in which state they'd build the stadium. Five years in. The McCaskey family borrowed credibility from a century of history to back a hire who's delivered three years of chaos. And the final verdict is that when George McCaskey hired Warren Stadium builder, Big Ten commissioner, it was with the stadium in mind. George McCaskey didn't bring Warren here to build him a stadium in Indiana on a slag heap. A con man doesn't need to steal money. Sometimes the con is stealing time and trust and opportunity, leaving everyone around him holding the bag while he issues another open letter explaining why none of it's his fault. That's what Kevin Warren's good at. The Bears won't stay in Chicago. They won't get Soldier Field. It can't be sold or transferred under any legal framework. And the man who is supposed to deliver a new home has delivered three years of misdirection, missed deadlines and burned bridges in two states. That's not bad luck. That's the con. That's really good stuff.

[Russ Armstrong]

Yeah, it's great stuff. And looking at the board of directors for the Chicago Bears, George McCaskey is the chairman. Patrick McCasky, Brian McCaskey, Edward McCaskey, Ed McCaskey Jr. Pat Ryan. Pat Ryan is the CEO and founder of Aon. Yeah, it's a $67 billion company, Dan. Mm, 67 billion. Does he have thoughts on this?

[Dan Bernstein]

I see his building.

[Russ Armstrong]

Michael McCaskey was stripped of his power and forced to step down because he fucked up the Dave McGinnis hire. He fumbled a coach hiring.

[Dan Bernstein]

That's just a coach hiring.

[Russ Armstrong]

This is just a coach hiring.

[Dan Bernstein]

This is the direction of your franchise. This is so much bigger than messing up a coach hiring.

[Russ Armstrong]

Correct.

[Dan Bernstein]

That's why I said yesterday, if Virginia were alive. If Virginia were alive, Warren would be on a train.

[Russ Armstrong]

How is Warren still the president and CEO of the Chicago Bears?

[Dan Bernstein]

He absolutely. The first thing they have to do to restore any credibility if they wanna get anything they want other than a swamp full of shit is get a new leader.

[Russ Armstrong]

Right.

[Dan Bernstein]

And maybe it's George and maybe. Maybe it's just I somewhere. That's when I saw that statue of George Hallis. When I saw that video again today, when I saw that. That sizzle reel. Here's Kevin Warren, first day on the job. It's all bullshit.

[Russ Armstrong]

I mean, if those other five members of the board right now aren't saying Kevin Warren's going and then forcing George to step down, I don't know what they're doing. I really don't.

[Dan Bernstein]

Then there's no reason to have a board. There's no reason to have a body.

[Russ Armstrong]

Got stripped of his power by his mom because he fucked up a coach hire. And George is going to stay here, not be in Springfield. Your president and CEO that you brought in three years ago sabotaged your organization and you didn't fire him. He needs to be fired today. George needs to step down today. It's just that simple.

[Dan Bernstein]

George isn't stepping down like that.

[Russ Armstrong]

Then he needs to be forced out, Dan. He needs to be. There are seven members of the board. They don't have five other individuals that can say, this is enough. Unless all five of them. And I have a hard time with Pat Ryan thinking this is okay. I do. How can the other five members of the board, the voting members of the board, think this is okay? I think the fact that he sabotaged the entire plan and the direction it was headed and didn't get fired is all you need to know about the Bears organization.

[Dan Bernstein]

Pat Ryan is 89.

[Russ Armstrong]

I know he is, Dan, but. But I mean, he's still a voting member and owes. Owns what? 20% of the team? 23% of the team. He founded an insurance organization that is worth $67 billion today. I know he's 89, but he's still. Then maybe he shouldn't Be on the, on the board either. But that's the seven members of your board.

[Dan Bernstein]

The very first thing they have to do before doing anything else before. Yeah. You cannot allow him to be in charge of these political relationships. You need a clean break.

[Russ Armstrong]

Yes.

[Dan Bernstein]

And whether you do something in the interim or whether you have to tell all of these governments he's not representing us anymore.

[Russ Armstrong]

He's gone.

[Dan Bernstein]

He's gone.

[Russ Armstrong]

You have to do it.

[Dan Bernstein]

We are now serious in a way that we don't know what this was happening. Cuz what's gonna happen is the same thing that happened at the Big ten is when he left. They started going through the books and they started. Whoa, wait a second. You did what you did what deal? We're on the hook for how many millions of dollars of this TV thing where you sold stuff you weren't allowed to sell?

[Russ Armstrong]

That's why I asked. What did he say to Chicago? What was he going to gain out of it? What was he going to bury the Bears with by talking back with Chicago?

[Dan Bernstein]

I don't. I don't know what the motivation was at the end other than he realized it was crumbling or he realized that he needed a fail safe or. Or just the fact that he believed that he could come out of this not smelling like a swamp because he had some sort of magic that he was going to pull off and when it didn't happen, blame somebody else.

[Russ Armstrong]

All right, fine. Take Pat Ryan out of it. But you still Patrick McCaskey, Brian McCaskey, Edward McCaskey, Ed McCaskey. What are those four saying today? Nothing.

[Dan Bernstein]

I don't know what's in their group chat.

[Russ Armstrong]

You think everything's okay?

[Dan Bernstein]

I don't know.

[Russ Armstrong]

This is good business. We're fine.

[Dan Bernstein]

This is a low point for your organization after a massive failure due to incompetence or maybe worse than incompetence.

[Russ Armstrong]

Okay, tell me. Okay, you see this at a low point. Tell me what's been lower. What's been lower than this? Because losing football games or seasons doesn't come close to this.

[Dan Bernstein]

I mean planet park in 95 that pretend that we're going to Gary. We're going to Gary. I think, I think the outcome of New Soldier Field is pretty low.

[Russ Armstrong]

When everybody lower than this.

[Dan Bernstein]

No, no.

[Russ Armstrong]

This is the lowest point of your

[Dan Bernstein]

organization considering the money. Especially considering now you don't have a stadium. You don't have a plan for a stadium. And whatever stadium you build has just doubled in cost. This is a tragedy.

[Russ Armstrong]

It's the lowest point ever of the Chicago Bears organization, Dan. I mean, let that sink in. It's the lowest point point ever to

[Dan Bernstein]

the point where he walked you. You hired him to lead. And the only opportunity he gave you for something resembling close to what you want, he walked you into a swamp that's filled with horrible chemicals.

[Russ Armstrong]

Right? And politicians here in Chicago laughed at the idea.

[Dan Bernstein]

Did you hear what Maria Pappas said? She wanted to say, like, my dead grandmother's gonna come back before they go to Indiana.

[Russ Armstrong]

That's what I was mentioning yesterday at, Dan. The people that are lifelong people know how shit works here. She laughed at the idea. She knew that they weren't going to Indiana. And she's not the only one. That's why these, these lawmakers, Dan, are saying, okay, get in your car, drive down to Hammond, fucking make the deal and get shovels in the ground.

[Dan Bernstein]

That deal's done. Not changing. It's all there. It's all right there for you. Go.

[Russ Armstrong]

Because we're not handing over billions of dollars. So go for it.

[Dan Bernstein]

And they did their jobs. And as a citizen and a Bear fan, I'm happy that they did their jobs. That's fine. I'm not mad at them.

[Russ Armstrong]

It's not their fault.

[Dan Bernstein]

Why aren't you mad at the. Because my.

[Russ Armstrong]

It's not their fault.

[Dan Bernstein]

And it's also that my belief in. And this is. Why aren't you mad? Why are you mad at Kevin Warren? Because my thoughts about public policy as a citizen are very different than my thoughts as a Bears fan or a Bears observer. That I don't let my desire for the Bears to win change how I feel about governance and public policy. Stadium deals mostly suck.

[Russ Armstrong]

You also don't want it to impact your wallet. It shouldn't have to.

[Dan Bernstein]

It isn't just that I'd rather have my money go to better things. It's Kevin Warren's job to convince. To do. That's what politics is.

[Russ Armstrong]

But his job was to get the

[Dan Bernstein]

stadium done by convincing people, by making the case, by doing the work. He never wanted to do the work because it was a con. He didn't do the work. He hired people who ostensibly are supposed to do the work they look like they're doing. They're having meetings, they're having phone calls, they're having meetings. He's getting up at 4:30 in the morning to read his Bible and get his car washed and look for cranes in the sky. But. But the work wasn't done. And the fact is he was told this by the other people around him who understood how Things work and don't work here. But he was busy being Kevin Warren for a living.

[Russ Armstrong]

The same guy who was out in front of the cameras in Minnesota while the stadium was being built behind the scenes without his work. And again, I just. I can't get over the fact he sabotaged the entire deal the second that that was found out by George McCaskey. You sit down with the other five members of the board and say, this is where we're at. This is what I want to do. Let's have a vote. How many say fire Kevin Warren? Five. Yays. I'm a yay. That's six. Zero. He's fired.

[Dan Bernstein]

He has to go. The Bears cannot be taken seriously.

[Russ Armstrong]

He already had to go.

[Dan Bernstein]

But it's a really, really good. That particular essay with all of the historical stuff, and that's annotated, too. I know it's been posted. Where can I read that? Where can I read that? I put that up on Blue Sky.

[Russ Armstrong]

Okay.

[Dan Bernstein]

And I think we've got. There's a Reddit page that you know more about it than I do. I think they. I know they posted it there.

[Russ Armstrong]

They did. Okay. Yeah. I haven't looked at it.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah. So that's where I put it up. Because he didn't want. Please post this so I can amplify it. I want to signal boost this because it's the best thing I've read yet, cataloging the anatomy of a con.

[Russ Armstrong]

Although, check Reddit, because last time I checked Reddit, they were mad that you don't talk enough white socks.

[Dan Bernstein]

So I watched last night. I did. I watched your guy Minecraft. I saw him. I just don't know what he's doing with the mustache.

[Russ Armstrong]

I love it. And the look. He was one of the best players in the team. And your only thought is, what's up with the mustache?

[Dan Bernstein]

No, he's good.

[Russ Armstrong]

What's your Minecraft thought? His hair and mustache.

[Dan Bernstein]

He's a tough little player. I like. I just. I haven't. It's been hard to get into because I just. It's been away for so long, and I just hate the. That if I could just have Steve Stone, the only guy in there. Stone and Connor and. But it's. It's just hard. It's really, really hard.

[Russ Armstrong]

All right.

[Dan Bernstein]

That's not what I think the best thing I could do is actually. Honestly, it would solve my problem. Go to more Sox games.

[Russ Armstrong]

Yeah.

[Dan Bernstein]

Or that would solve my problem because then I'd go there and I'd eat everything and have fun, and I Don't have to listen to the broadcast.

[Russ Armstrong]

Yeah, do me a favor. Go to more Sox games and then let's talk about some windows.

[Dan Bernstein]

I was right in front of me.

[Russ Armstrong]

Thank you.

[Dan Bernstein]

I got it.

[Russ Armstrong]

I don't care what you think you got. You got what I give you, Mr.

[Dan Bernstein]

Russ Armstrong is the owner of Chicago Window Guys. And just make your life easier, Trust me on this, that rather than diving into everything, you're gonna have to do with all these big window companies that are like ad agencies and marketing agencies and they pool everything together and they offer you these deals and they give you crappy windows. Don't do that. Russ, from start to finish, is in charge of everything involved. He owns Chicago Window Guys. He owns the factory. The factory's here in Chicago. So when he says, okay, let me get measured now I'm gonna go make the windows, that's what's going on here. He makes the windows. His people install them. So it's not subcontracted labor. It's not randos that he's picking up every day who are in and around your house. Russ has done two different tranches of windows in my house. I've been through the experience multiple times and I recommend them to everybody because it's awesome. Don't wait. Get good windows. They end up paying for themselves almost because of how you're heating and cooling your own home less because that temperature you want stays inside your house. You don't want to pay to heat the outside of your house. So call him 847-302-9171 and check out his five star [e-mail] every day as a small business owner feels like solving a puzzle. One moment you're cruising along and the next there's a shipping snag that has you scrambling. But here's a surprise you will like with Progressive. Small business owners save 13% on their commercial auto insurance when they pay in full. So go ahead, surprise yourself. Get a quote in as little as 8 minutes@progressive commercial.com progressive casualty insurance company and affiliates. Discounts not available in all states or situations. You're listening to this podcast, so I know you've got a curious mind. Here's a helpful fact you might not know yet. Drivers who switch and save with Progressive save over $900 on average. Pop over to progressive.com, answer some questions, and you'll get a quick quote with discounts that are easy to come by. In fact, 99% of their auto customers earn at least one discount. Visit progressive.com and see if you can enjoy a little cash back. Progressive Casualty Insurance Company and national average 12 month savings of $946 by new customers surveyed who saved with Progressive between June 2024 and May 2025. Potential savings will vary. Why are you still talking about this? It's a huge, huge, huge deal. This isn't just a football game. Everything built to this, everything they said in Arlington Heights, they're working on this for five years. Kevin Warren came in three and a half year, years and years and years and years. And it all came down to this. And now they're looking at the ashes of what burned down and seeing what they can resurrect. In spite of your team president who led you to this moment. It wasn't everybody else. It wasn't some. And there's a lot about this nebulous idea about corrupt politics. This is what happened. Why don't you blame corrupt politics, Blame

[Russ Armstrong]

Illinois, Blame Illinois lawmakers. Blame Illinois politicians.

[Dan Bernstein]

Tell me who and why.

[Russ Armstrong]

Right.

[Dan Bernstein]

Tell me who and why. Tell me right now. Who, who, who?

[Russ Armstrong]

This is who didn't do their job. Who prevented the Bears from getting the stadium deal done?

[Dan Bernstein]

Well, but I think I might have voted against the Bears getting the stadium deal done too. Like they did their jobs. They did their job. A no vote can be a legislator representing their constituency who also doesn't want to see this kind of incompetence and idiocy rewarded with our tax dollars. Make the effort. Do better to convince me. They never tried. They never cared. Because it was all as soon as I put this orange tie on. I'm Kevin Warren. I'm the Bears. I get what I want. Well, guess What? Maybe George McCaskey believed that, but not enough other people did.

[Russ Armstrong]

He got exactly what he deserved.

[Dan Bernstein]

Not yet. He still got the cushy job doing nothing.

[Russ Armstrong]

106 years of your Chicago Bears and this is the lowest point of the franchise history and he still has a job.

[Dan Bernstein]

I would love to hear George McCaskey or anybody else on that board of directors sit down in that chair and make the case to me why Kevin Warren is running your team from here on. Okay, George. Why? What happens now? What happens now? Why is he in charge of anything now? You got conned, bruh. Do you know? You did. You did. What do you have to show for any of this? What do you have? What concrete do you have to show for any of this? And don't mention. Don't tell me anything about football. I'm not talking football right now. I'm Talking about bears business. And even in this difficult political climate, you had it. People did the work. And I know I have been privy to conversations that have been had by state legislators, by state reps, by state senators, by of both parties. I know how much work was done in good faith, really good work in good faith by hard working people who wanted to do right by their constituents and also understood that there's a lot of people that wanted the bears to have something that could help everybody. And that's why I was cool with infrastructure and so was everybody else. Yeah, you own the land in Arlington. I'd say build on it. It's easy. You own it, start building. We'll build just some roads. Like everything was fine, they had it and now somehow they've gone backwards and now they've doubled the price. If you want to build there, you double the price because you waited and waited and waited and waited, wait for no reason. And now the only place where you got something resembling a deal where it's one thing to say I'm going to hold my nose and do it. You literally have to hold your nose. You're going to build a stadium where it would cost you almost $1 billion alone just to go through there and get all the things out of there that make the whole area smell like farts.

[Russ Armstrong]

I mean, can we, can we please, can we please stop calling the Hammond thing a deal?

[Dan Bernstein]

I mean, because.

[Russ Armstrong]

Because Dan, if it was the second

[Dan Bernstein]

this fell apart here, gone there, done,

[Russ Armstrong]

then you, then you sign, you sign that deal if it's a deal. But they haven't done it yet. And the official statement they put out in the middle of the night said we're going to continue to evaluate Arlington Heights and Hammond because we don't know what to do. And we're scrambling for more time because we're lost and confused at the lowest point ever of our franchise history. So we're going to continue to evaluate a swamp and the property that we already own.

[Dan Bernstein]

We have an update from Hammond. It's still a swamp. It is.

[Russ Armstrong]

Call online to George. Yes. Yes. We still own the land in Arlington Heights.

[Dan Bernstein]

Correct.

[Russ Armstrong]

Thank you.

[Dan Bernstein]

Let me check back in with Hammond. Yeah, still a swamp. Still an EPA problem. And it's kind of. It's just really watery. It's free. It's very wet. It's extremely. It should be this wet. It smells bad. It's wet. And there, there's all kinds of chemicals down here and it's going to cost a lot of money to go through and remediate all this stuff. But yeah, I'd say smelly and wet.

[Russ Armstrong]

George, call line two. Hello? Yeah. You still own Arlington Heights property? Okay, thank you.

[Dan Bernstein]

Thank you. Waiting.

[Russ Armstrong]

We're evaluating.

[Dan Bernstein]

We're going to sit and evaluate. Yeah.

[Russ Armstrong]

See we own one area, the other areas of swamp. Hmm. What should we do?

[Dan Bernstein]

I don't know. I don't know. Let's wait till the late spring, early summer. Late, late, late summer. Anyone? Special session? No. November. Oh, November. That's where they're going to reconvene now.

[Russ Armstrong]

They don't want November. Telling you they don't want. It's harder in November.

[Dan Bernstein]

More votes. You know what? Go.

[Russ Armstrong]

Yeah, then go. Just if you have a deal and they're willing to give you billions of dollars, then go.

[Dan Bernstein]

And the legacy of, of. Of George hall as a legacy of your. All that mattered in the world to your mother was the future of this franchise.

[Russ Armstrong]

1975, George Hallis started and wanted to move to Arlington. Arlington Heights identified that area.

[Dan Bernstein]

That's, that's.

[Russ Armstrong]

So if, listen, if Hammond is saying here's the money, here's the land, go do it now, George. What are you waiting for? Kevin? What are you waiting for? Sign the deal and go build your multi use entertainment park. And then you know what? And then after the bear scene's over, get Taylor Swift to come there and perform a concert and fill it, fill it with people for a concert.

[Dan Bernstein]

And as a, as a taxpayer here, as a citizen. Awesome.

[Russ Armstrong]

Great.

[Dan Bernstein]

Go or just stay in Soldier Field.

[Russ Armstrong]

Yeah. I mean yeah. Your lease is up. That's 2033.

[Dan Bernstein]

That's the thing.

[Russ Armstrong]

You got no issues.

[Dan Bernstein]

You have to go anywhere. Seven years here, right? Go ahead, just keep playing.

[Russ Armstrong]

Just play there. Then you know, re sign the lease.

[Dan Bernstein]

Stay your rinky dink little business and you want to keep running your rinky dink little business that you never expanded.

[Russ Armstrong]

Yeah. Then just stay. Stay in Soldier Field and everything's fine.

[Dan Bernstein]

Simple.

[Russ Armstrong]

There is no issue.

[Dan Bernstein]

But every time he opens his mouth, every time we see Kevin Warren, that's the question. Why are you still here? What do you do? What do you do? Why are you still being allowed to do it? Why hasn't someone told you that we now know you're a con man. This con busted. It blew up. It's over. The whole thing is over. You can pretend it's not, but every day that he is standing there and is with his orange tie or after games, con.

[Russ Armstrong]

Yeah. He's there in the locker room every

[Dan Bernstein]

day, every day in the draft room talking to draft picks. Right. For What?

[Russ Armstrong]

Ryan Poles makes the call. Let me have you talk to Kevin Warren.

[Dan Bernstein]

I'm gonna put Kevin Warren on the line.

[Russ Armstrong]

Here's the team, right?

[Dan Bernstein]

You know, everyone has a World cup opinion, and my bookie gives you a place to put it. You've got a country that you're rooting for. I'm rooting for America. The favorite you think is overrated. The one friend that swears they know ball because they watched three highlights and bought a jersey. I like that guy. I'll hang it with that guy. I'll watch World cup with that guy blowing his vuvuzel out his butt. That's what makes this tournament so fun. New players have a special promo code. We have an exclusive my bookie offer for you. You got to sign in, you got to register your account with the code DBU for Dan Bernstein, unfiltered. And then you get it. You know the World cup turns every match into a conversation, and my bookie lets you turn that opinion into action. Back your side before kickoff. Follow the match live. Stay locked in from the opening whistle to the final kick. The World cup only comes around once every four years, so don't just watch it from the sidelines. Get in on the action at my bookie promo code. DBU must be 21 plus. Please gamble responsibly.

[Russ Armstrong]

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[Dan Bernstein]

The essential dining experience is set long before the plates are plated, the sauce is simmered, or the puree hits the pan. It starts with a simple blend that's consistent, purposeful and precise. Trusted by the world's best chefs. So you can bring your best Vitamix only the essential. Mentioned yesterday. We have reloaded the rewards page on the 312Sports app and 312Sports.com. But get the app. Make sure you grab it at the Apple App Store and Google Play because you'll be able to listen to the show and have full command over everything. We've got a $100 gift certificate to ABBA located in Chicago's Fulton Market. It's a Mediterranean restaurant with a California influence. A $100 gift certificate to RPM Italian. A modern approach, an Italian in spirit. A contemporary menu with dishes meant to be shared. Tickets to Six Flags Great America. Family fun with endless thrills, the thrill capital of the Midwest. And tickets to see Joe Bonamassa in concert, August 12, 2026 at Ravinia. Tickets for the 2026 season are on sale now. Revenia.org your promo code, Cody. C O D Y Cody. Enter that on any reward for a chance to win. Also, congratulations to our winners from May. Our winners were for the Antico Posto dinner, Michael Nicoterra from Plainfield, the Capitol Grill winner, Ted Duvas from West Chicago. Giordano's winner. I'll try to pronounce his fares. Cairala from Crown Point. And the winner of the Weezer tickets, the big prize from lagrange, Philip Montana. Oh, I would like to have seen Montana. Cool name.

[Russ Armstrong]

Yeah.

[Dan Bernstein]

That's the second Hunt for Red October reference in two days.

[Russ Armstrong]

Yes, it is.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah, I got called out on that one, too. For Tupolev being called an area, you arrogant us. You've killed us. So of course the emailer said, well, you can't fault Tupolev for taking the safeties off his torpedoes because they were told that Ramius was going to start World War three. They were told that Ramius had gone rogue and lost his mind and he was gonna launch all his ballistic missiles when he got to the eastern seaboard. And they loved Ramius. They were trained by Ramius and they adored him. So if told that Ramius was defecting and handing the Red October to the Americans, they might not have tried to sink him. Good point. Yeah. But I didn't call him an arrogant ass. His assistant did.

[Russ Armstrong]

His assistant did, right? Yeah.

[Dan Bernstein]

His lieutenant, or whoever that was.

[Russ Armstrong]

Right. I also want to say a quick hello to one of our listeners, regular podcast guy, Tom. Tom stopped me on the train yesterday. He was walking past me on the train on the way home, and he stopped and he said hello, and he said he listens to all the podcasts and he loves them all. So. Hello, Tom.

[Dan Bernstein]

Every day on the lake, every day I'm out fishing yesterday. Our guy, Patrick, he has a regular run. He took a picture of me catching that. The white bass. Did you see that fish?

[Russ Armstrong]

Yeah, I did.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah. They're pretty rare. Like, that's my second white bass of the season. I almost had the bass grand slam yesterday because I had two big smallmouth rock bass and a white bass.

[Russ Armstrong]

Okay.

[Dan Bernstein]

All I needed was A largemouth. Yeah. And I would have had the Lake Michigan bass Grand slam in a single day. Didn't get it.

[Russ Armstrong]

Then you went home and you made love to Stan Van Gundy.

[Dan Bernstein]

He was in the bed. I sent you the picture.

[Russ Armstrong]

I know, I saw it.

[Dan Bernstein]

You can show it.

[Russ Armstrong]

Is Maggie there tonight?

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah.

[Russ Armstrong]

So Maggie and Stan and you tonight. Throuple. Okay.

[Dan Bernstein]

I've got my throuple. I've got Maggie the mutt. I've got life size body pillow. Stan Van Gundy. Yeah. Beth is out of town. But he's bigger than Beth. Stan is interesting. He's big and you can't really spoon it. So it's kind of like.

[Russ Armstrong]

Yeah, probably. Probably don't spoon it. Maybe just leave it next to you.

[Dan Bernstein]

I did.

[Russ Armstrong]

Yeah.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah. I don't have to spoon it but he made his debut last night. Everything's everything.

[Russ Armstrong]

Yeah. We'll see what Maggie thinks about it though. She'll probably. She'll probably react negatively towards another man.

[Dan Bernstein]

It should not affect her. She likes to wander around and then stop at the very end.

[Russ Armstrong]

Have a face though. And that.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah. It might freak her out.

[Russ Armstrong]

She might be concerned about the man in your bed. I wanted to tell you too real quick.

[Dan Bernstein]

What if she doesn't rip it up?

[Russ Armstrong]

She might. You just be careful.

[Dan Bernstein]

No, you don't need her to shred it. She can't shred.

[Russ Armstrong]

She might rip his face off.

[Dan Bernstein]

No, I forgot to tell you.

[Russ Armstrong]

Over the weekend my 11 or my 10 year old stepson Lucas was in his travel baseball game and I won't mention who they were playing but the game stopped in the middle of it because the catcher on the opposing team wasn't wearing a cup. And then as the coach gathered his team together eventually found out that not one kid on the team had a cup on. So the coach walks over to. To my Grant and stepson's dugout and he was like, hey, I guess my team's not prepared to play today so we're going to just have to call this a day.

[Dan Bernstein]

They had to. They had to forfeit a cup. Forfeit.

[Russ Armstrong]

Yeah. Not one kid had a cup on a cup forfeit.

[Dan Bernstein]

Is that. Are cups mandatory or did he do that just out of the goodness? I was, I would think caring for other people's kids.

[Russ Armstrong]

I would think each community probably calls it on their own.

[Dan Bernstein]

That's interesting.

[Russ Armstrong]

I can't recall a 10U because all the kids warm on our. When I coached 8, 9, 10, 11.

[Dan Bernstein]

You because hockey like a mouth guard thing?

[Russ Armstrong]

Yeah, like you got football. You have to have your mouth guard in with hockey.

[Dan Bernstein]

Like, you got to go to the rink. You can buy it, but you got to leave the rink or your parents have to go buy you the mouth guard and give you the mouth guard or you can't play.

[Russ Armstrong]

Yeah. And tackle football. The refs will warn you once. If it's the second time you're out of the. You're out. You have to. You can come back in the game, but they take you off for at least a play. Yeah, I would think it would be mandatory. Maybe it's by community. We always made sure the kids had them on.

[Dan Bernstein]

But catcher didn't have one.

[Russ Armstrong]

It was a cup forfeit.

[Dan Bernstein]

The catcher.

[Russ Armstrong]

Have you ever heard of a cup forfeit?

[Dan Bernstein]

I have not. Yeah. I've never heard of a cup forfeit.

[Russ Armstrong]

I felt bad for the kids too.

[Dan Bernstein]

Come on. But you can't.

[Russ Armstrong]

But then, come on, parents. What are you doing? When are you letting your 10 year old get dressed without a cup for to play a baseball game?

[Dan Bernstein]

And that was also like what eventually happened when you get to like, like peewee. Like older squirts and peewee. When where the goalies that had been using regular cups have to make the change to an actual goalie cup.

[Russ Armstrong]

Yeah.

[Dan Bernstein]

Which looks like tactical armor.

[Russ Armstrong]

Well,

[Dan Bernstein]

because you don't. When that one kid shows up and is firing. Like, if your kid's a goalie, splurge on the goalie cup earlier. If you want to have grandchildren.

[Russ Armstrong]

Just do it. Yeah, just do it. I thought you'd like that.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah. Forfeit. Yeah. That's a new one. That's a new one. That's gonna do it for DBU today. Dan Bernstein, unfiltered. And we've been brought to you by our friend Russ Armstrong. He is Chicago Window Guys and he's everything about Chicago Window Guys and will make sure that you have the best windows for your home at the absolute best price. So give him a call when you can. And. How many?

[Russ Armstrong]

I say, what are you looking for there? How many sheets you got over there?

[Dan Bernstein]

Too many. Yeah. Because. Because Karwowski prints out.

[Russ Armstrong]

Oh, don't blame Karwowski. Don't try to throw Karwowski under the bus.

[Dan Bernstein]

I know. He's too big. Oh, you're gonna break the bus.

[Russ Armstrong]

Like to see that.

[Dan Bernstein]

He'd break the bus. You're like, hey, dude, knock it over. Yeah. 384730, 29171.

[Russ Armstrong]

How do you not know that number yet?

[Dan Bernstein]

I've got a lot on my mind and we've been brought to you in partnership with my bookie.

[Russ Armstrong]

Say bye now.

[Dan Bernstein]

Bye now.

[Russ Armstrong]

Dan Bernstein, unfiltered unfiltered on 312Sports.

[Dan Bernstein]

You know what's missing? Real talk about what black men go through mentally and emotionally. Man Listen Mental health conversations for men of color.

[Russ Armstrong]

We're diving into the real stuff.

[Dan Bernstein]

The pressure, the struggles, the healing.

[Russ Armstrong]

No filters, just brothers sharing their truth

[Dan Bernstein]

about navigating life and finding purpose. Whether you're living it, supporting someone who

[Russ Armstrong]

is, or just want to understand, this is for you.

[Dan Bernstein]

I'm Mark McCray, and I'm ready to have these conversations. Find us by searching. Man, listen Mental Wherever you get your podcast.