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Mark McCray
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Dan Bernstein
I mean, if you're a Bears fan,
Matt Abeticola
you're thinking forward progress. Come on. Forward Progress A Chicago Bears podcast with Dan Bernstein and Matt Abeticola on 312 Sports.
Dan Bernstein
It is the entire purpose of our very existence to provide you with forward progress. And we do as we talk Bears and NFL. And thankfully, because of the diligence that he performs for his fifty million dollar year salary, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell has an update a I think so. He used to like 10 years ago he made $40 million. Look it up, look it up.
Matt Abeticola
Good for him.
Dan Bernstein
Look up, look up. Ask one of your various AI engines there. What does Roger Goodell make in one year?
Matt Abeticola
That's great man.
Dan Bernstein
It's a really good job to not have to really do all that much. Here's the quote because we know that Bears executives were said to have presented the NFL with their official stadium update yesterday. Stadium update. Now you want to hear. You want to hear news delivered by the Commissioner? Here it is. Quote There was a specific update on the Bears. This is the quote. On the two sites that are viable in the bears mind, that process is going on. So he says, viable in the bears mind. I've spoken to the governor of Illinois recently. There is a focus on getting something done and there will be two viable options for the Bears to choose from. End quote.
Matt Abeticola
Nope.
Dan Bernstein
Well, not. We know. First of all, as we discussed yesterday. Not really.
Matt Abeticola
Yeah, there's one.
Dan Bernstein
Yeah, there's another site. The viability is. Is kind of.
Matt Abeticola
Well, there's a. There's a third site, too. It's my backyard.
Dan Bernstein
I mean, I'd pull the shades. They're playing in your backyard. Forget it. But that. That was the update. There isn't actually any update on the work that is being done in the Illinois Senate right now to mark up the bill and have their. Whatever it is, a Votorama or however the. Whatever their parliamentary procedure is into, add things and strip things, earmark things and put in the pork barrels and fight over all that stuff, and eventually the bears continue to hold that door open. You could have just said, hey, if it's taking so long and bothering you so much, why don't you just take the Indiana. Because they don't want to. They would have. They don't want to. They've never wanted it. They don't want it. They haven't wanted it ever. It's always been a canard. So they're waiting for Illinois to pass this, which apparently Pritzker has given them enough indication to say something is going to come through. It may not be exactly what you want, but it's going to be enough that you don't have to pretend that you want to go play on a pile of human waste.
Matt Abeticola
Yeah. So thanks for the update, Roger.
Dan Bernstein
Yeah, thanks, Rog.
Matt Abeticola
Roughly $64 million.
Dan Bernstein
I was low.
Matt Abeticola
Did you see the. The thing going back and forth between Brandon Johnson and. And Governor Pritzker?
Dan Bernstein
Yeah.
Matt Abeticola
Yeah.
Dan Bernstein
And now they're insulting each other. I don't know. I. I don't know.
Matt Abeticola
I didn't grow up a billionaire. I've, you know, opened the fridge, didn't see food. He never saw that. Well, clearly. But. But like, what. What's the. What's the end game here?
Dan Bernstein
What's the point? No idea.
Matt Abeticola
Maybe. Maybe. What are we doing?
Dan Bernstein
I don't know. If Brandon Johnson is just trying to boost his local populist credentials with a certain constituency, the answer is I have no idea. Yeah, I have no idea what Brandon Johnson is trying to accomplish by taking somebody on who is in the process of Building out a presidential level operation and just the sort of the size of his operation. Right now they are scaling up. Yeah. And I don't know if Johnson wants attention from that larger machine, ledger machine, if he thinks that helps him. But I, I can't see the three dimensional chess of trying to locally or within the state where your city has primacy is to make an enemy of the guy in charge of the levers of state government. Right now I'm, I don't get it. I don't know how a feud benefits him or benefits us as Chicago residents or citizens.
Matt Abeticola
We were talking yesterday about the Bear stadium and we, we kind of asked the question in our conversation about George McCaskey, like why wouldn't George have just taken this on, you know, gotten more involved and maybe through self awareness or through internal pressure. That was decided for him. There's a story that's unrelated to the Bear stadium, but I think it gives a good idea of why George is less involved instead of the stadium project. Okay. This is on espn. Again, completely unrelated, but gives a little bit of a mindset of, of George McCaskey. The story is about owners and how much or how little owners get involved when it comes to the processes within their organization.
Dan Bernstein
There's a wide range between Jerry Jones being the actual general manager and maybe the opposite extreme would be the McCaskeys needing to hire somebody to do most of the business for them.
Matt Abeticola
I think the opposite extreme would exactly be George McCaskey.
Dan Bernstein
Okay.
Matt Abeticola
Two years ago, Chicago was making calls to trade back into the fifth round of the draft. While George McCaskey was calling balls and strikes. George McCaskey, the 70 year old chairman of the Bears, opted to umpire on the final day of the 2024 draft instead of spending the four rounds in the draft room of Hallis Hall. Chauncey Carrick, the athletic director at Sycamore Illinois High School, was one, was the one updating McCaskey on the players the Bears were selecting. So the AD at Sycamore High School was updating McCaskey. While he's umping the game, I go, hey, you guys are drafting in four picks? Carrick said, want me to stick around and let you know who you get. McCaskey appreciated the help. About an hour later, Carrick returned with an update which surprised McCaskey. Since the Bears entered the draft with only four picks, including two in the first round. He goes, not us, we're out of picks. Carrick said. I was like, well, you just traded back in. He immediately wanted to know who they got. So again, an unrelated story.
Dan Bernstein
There's something awesome about that. It really is. There's nothing wrong with choosing that approach. There, there really is something that as far as his own mental health, in some ways I think that's really mature.
Matt Abeticola
So I wasn't sharing that with the idea of being negative or denigrating George McCaskey saying he should be more involved. I was just showing that. I thought it showed some insight to our conversation yesterday about why wasn't George Moore involved. Was this a self awareness thing? Was it internal pressure from somewhere within the organization to say, George, you shouldn't do this? I think it's George himself and I think this just shows it. This is not negative. This is nothing negative towards George McCaskey. I think it's cute. It's, it's the third day and the final day of the draft and George is like, you know what, I'm gonna go ump high school baseball, just keep me informed. And it wasn't even someone within the organization. There wasn't even a plan.
Dan Bernstein
He wasn't on a hotline. And meanwhile, meanwhile Kevin Warren has filled every vacuum. That's the problem.
Matt Abeticola
Yes.
Dan Bernstein
And getting back to some things that we discussed yesterday. And I need to be careful about how I do this.
Matt Abeticola
And that's where I was going to tie it back through. So I'm glad you took that step.
Dan Bernstein
Okay. The one thing that I have realized too is that in some respects there is a building perception that Kevin Warren is taking advantage of the opportunity afforded him to turn himself into the Bears. That his inability to control his own self promotional instincts. We were warned about this because in a lot of ways it was said he thought he was bigger than the Big Ten, that he became the Big Ten. The Big Ten became like a Kevin Warren vanity project. There is some worry amid everything that's going on that the Chicago Bears are now the latest Kevin Warren vanity project. And that with every bit of, with every choice that George makes to be less involved, it just gives more air, more open space for Kevin Warren to fill and, and make things about not the Chicago Bears, but about Kevin Warren. And that is what, what George, I believe is now he's got people warning him that that kind of thing can happen.
Matt Abeticola
Yeah. And it's something that I've read in a couple different places that he is either going to, needing to or has been addressing as of late.
Dan Bernstein
Well, I don't know the extent of that. I can't speak to that report. I can only tell you what I've heard and that, that is that there are people who are increasingly concerned about the amount of power that was given to somebody to represent themselves as the Chicago Bears.
Matt Abeticola
Right. Because if George excludes himself or steps out, and in this case, this story about the draft from 2024 went to umpire game, which I think is great, wasn't a plan set in place to say, hey, we'll text you or we'll call you. This is the person that will be in contact with you. It was an athletic director at the high school where he was umping that just said, hey, do you want me to keep you informed? And he was like, yeah, that'd be great. Appreciate it. And it wasn't even immediate. It was as the story road, the story goes. You know, an hour or two later he comes up and says, hey, do you want to know who you picked? Yeah, that'd be great. So, yeah, I appreciate that about George and love that about George. But it also shows, as you put it, there's that vacuum there and Kevin Warren is the guy to insert himself and step into that area. That vacuum that maybe ownership or different ownership wouldn't leave as a void. Well, which also maybe fits why you see Kevin Warren taking the cell phone in the draft room and talking to players, which bothers me, as I've expressed, not necessary. Why he's there in the locker room making sure he's in every camera shot when Ben Johnson is breaking down the final, you know, or breaking it down after a game victory. And there's Kevin Warren in the background. And here we are, three years now removed from purchasing this land in Arlington Heights, and nothing's done.
Dan Bernstein
We're getting closer, we think.
Matt Abeticola
We think. But we have two examples in the NFL. Tennessee and Buffalo, both starting their process after the Bears stadiums completed. And now a Super bowl awarded to Tennessee. And the Bears don't even have a deal in place.
Dan Bernstein
Mm. So just continue to keep an eye on everything and see how this is going. Because the waiting game, what's happening is because now everything is out of the Bears control. Yep, they are. Now this, with all the wheeling and dealing that's going on in the Senate, that's going to eventually move this thing to the governor's desk, there isn't really anything they can do right now. There's no last minute leverage games. There isn't anything they can do to immediately like throw down $300 million and clean up the site that's in Hammond, that's going to make people think they actually are capable of moving there and making money on something. That's built there that they don't own. So just this will be done relatively soon. And I think it's we'll get a lot of answers as to how it went down after the fact.
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Matt Abeticola
There are two writers on NFL.com that took on a task that I would not have wanted to take on, but they went through every single team in the NFL, looked at the schedule and both guys picked wins and losses on every single team in the NFL.
Dan Bernstein
Okay.
Matt Abeticola
And then broke it down. Would not want to do that. But God bless them, they did it for us. Here are the final results of the 2026 season and these are the playoff teams that they are selecting from the nfc. The number one seed for one of the one of the writers. The Rams at 12 and five. The two seed are the Dallas Cowboys at 11 and six, the three seed and division winner, your Chicago Bears at 10 seven and the Atlanta Falcons at nine and eight. Now your three wild card teams in order, the Seahawks at 11 and six, the 49ers at 10 and seven and the Eagles at 10 and seven. So if you get that first round by that gives you the Bears hosting the 49ers.
Dan Bernstein
Well, that NFC south must be a real dog,
Matt Abeticola
right? Because the buddy. The other writer. Buddy, other writer went the same way with the NFC south but a different team. He had the Seahawks being number one at 12 and five, the Bears being the two seed at 11 and six, the Eagles 10 and seven, the Panthers nine and eight. So both writers have the NFC south being won by a team winning nine games. Your wild card teams are the Rams at 12 and 5, the 49ers at 11 and 6 and the Lions at 11 and 6. So with your first round by that gives you the two seed bears hosting the Detroit Lions.
Dan Bernstein
Let's go.
Matt Abeticola
So I wanted to go through and see what their picks were by season. They both have the Bears losing the opening opening game at the Panthers. They both have them winning against the Vikings. So now you're at home against the Eagles in week three and that's a loss for both of them. So Bears one and two. They host the jets in week four and they win that. So they finished two and two to start the first quarter all Right. At the packers is a loss. At the Falcons is a loss for both writers.
Dan Bernstein
Okay.
Matt Abeticola
Then you have two game win streaks with the Patriots at home. So that's a win on a Thursday night. They both picked the Bears to beat Seattle in Seattle on Monday night.
Dan Bernstein
That's okay.
Matt Abeticola
Yeah.
Dan Bernstein
Oh, no.
Matt Abeticola
It's okay.
Dan Bernstein
Yeah.
Matt Abeticola
It's just interesting how they're, they're, they're lockstep here.
Dan Bernstein
One of the few games in which the Bears are not a favorite.
Matt Abeticola
Yep. Week nine, hosting the Buccaneers, they have a loss. Both, both writers have them losing to the Buccaneers going into the bye week. Coming out of the bye week, it's two wins against the Saints. So they both have them. Victories against the Saints. Thanksgiving Day at the Lions, this is where they split. We have one as a loss, one has a win. Jaguars at home, both have that as a win. The Dolphins game in week 13, one has it as a loss of one has it as a win. And then we go Bills at Buffalo, the packers at home and the Lions at home. All three wins, both sides. And then they're split on the final game of the season, which gives you the 10, 7 and 11 and six record at the Vikings to be determined. We have one win and one loss.
Dan Bernstein
Not knowing who the quarterback is in
Matt Abeticola
any of these games, Right? Correct. Or injuries or health or.
Dan Bernstein
That's what I mean.
Matt Abeticola
Yeah. So of any, any position was certainly the, the, the very large quarterback room for Minnesota, but fun little exercise there. They did 10 and 7, 11 and 6. And both NFL writers. One only has one team coming out of the north and then the other has the, the Bears and the Lions and they would face off in the first round of the playoffs. But.
Dan Bernstein
Sounds good to me.
Matt Abeticola
Yeah, no, it's, it's fun stuff. And again, it's just. And as we know, it's impossible to do this and it's silly, but it certainly is. Part of the NFL fan culture is making these picks and predictions and having no idea who's where and who's doing what and what's happening anytime at all. But to predict a game that's, you know, still where we had out. I said we were 16 weeks away, and then we're 18 weeks in the season. So we're 34 weeks away. We're going to pick a, a prediction for the Vikings game.
Dan Bernstein
I'm not. But.
Matt Abeticola
Oh, no. And we're not going to do that. But. But hey, it's just, it's interesting to see outside perspective. Both, both writers have the Bears winning the division.
Dan Bernstein
I have A question for Kansas City Chiefs receiver Rasheed Rice because Rasheed Rice has been sentenced to serve 30 days in jail after testing positive for marijuana in violation of the terms of his probation for his role in a crash that left multiple people injured on a Dallas highway two years ago.
Matt Abeticola
Yep, Georgia's not umping games.
Dan Bernstein
The Texas State Attorney's office said that Rice was ordered to go to jail immediately as part of his original 30 day sentence for the third degree felony of racing and causing bodily injury. According to the DA office, Mr. Rice was taken into custody today in the 194th Judicial District Court for testing positive for THC and ordered to serve the 30 days he'd previously been ordered to serve at a later time starting today. Rice had received deferred adjudication after pleading guilty and the case was would have been dismissed if he had completed the probation. All he had to do was not get high and this would have been dismissed. Like that's a bigger you had now that you have this on your record rather than not. So the Chiefs have voluntary practices that begin next week. Mandatory minicamp sent to end June 11th. Here's something and tell me why you think I find this interesting. Okay. One week before Rice was sentenced, he underwent a cleanup surgery on his right knee to remove loose debris that was causing inflammation, sources told ESPN's Adam Schefter. Rice is expected to be sidelined for two months but is expected to be ready for training camp later this summer. The the Chief said they've been in touch with the NFL about the matter and declined further comment. So why is that paragraph important? And what did Adam Schefter not do in his reporting that somebody who isn't necessarily working on behalf of an agent could have and should have done or asked?
Matt Abeticola
Well, tell me
Dan Bernstein
why, if you're an agent, do you call Adam Schefter and make sure that you talk about inflammation?
Matt Abeticola
Is that why he was using whatever he was using?
Dan Bernstein
Yeah. You at least make that some kind of plausible excuse. It's not going to fly. It's not going to work. It's not going to probably be a mitigating factor.
Matt Abeticola
Well, it doesn't matter, obviously publicly, perhaps
Dan Bernstein
the reason why he did it because why the hell would he be using THC if he could have gotten the entire thing dismissed? And I guarantee you what that is setting up and what bothers me about what Schefter's role has become is that if he really were doing the job as a reporter, it's not me saying this, it's him it's him saying, the agent called me and mentioned inflammation. And here's possibly why that was done. Yeah.
Matt Abeticola
Why he was using whatever it was he was.
Dan Bernstein
Rather than. Rather than. Right. Rather than simply parroting what the agent's telling you and just acting as a conduit, as a. As a mouthpiece for the agent. You can question as part of your job why the agent wants that information out there and what they may be planning to do if the Chiefs are in touch with the NFL about the matter, because this has been an ongoing battle on this front. If you want me to tell you what I think about this, I think that there should be no limitation whatsoever to THC usage in the NFL or anywhere else. If you want to make sure that younger people don't have access to it, like alcohol or tobacco, cool. But I'm. I'm up for it being completely rescheduled, reconsidered, studied better, and marketed and, you know, more scientifically studied so we can determine what the anecdotal and apparently very safe anti inflammatory and analgesic effects are of thc, of cbd, of everything else, of all of the cannabinoids.
Matt Abeticola
Yeah. So that. That story certainly is like an image spin, because here, me, I have no, I don't got to skin in the game here with the Chiefs, with Rasheed Rice.
Dan Bernstein
No, neither do I. I don't. I don't care.
Matt Abeticola
But. But just hearing the story, it's like, all right, if the guy's having issues and he ends up having a procedure to clean it up, and he's going to be out for two months anyway, and he's dealing with some inflammation and pain, he should be able to use
Dan Bernstein
thc, especially because of the opiate problems that this league has faced and that Americans have faced generally. And if the drug can be rescheduled to the point where it can be studied properly. And this is. Look, my personal beliefs and my beliefs in what makes proper public policy in this regard have nothing to do with Rasheed Rice's decision making or with NFL football. I just think we need. Need in large part a reconsideration of drug laws when it comes to not just, you know, recreational use drugs like, like marijuana, where states have made some really intelligent decisions about what's best for their business and best for their citizens, but also some more of the. The hallucinogenic drugs as well. If you want to talk about dmt, what's found in ayahuasca, or if you want to talk about psilocybin and what, what can be Done. And some of the things that have been seen there even. And I, and I backed Aaron Rodgers on this when he brought it up that I am for science picking up the baton on this one. And rather than let it be anecdotal, let actual scientists determine what is in these products that might be able to help us all.
Matt Abeticola
Now for me on the Rasheed Rice story, there's, I mean, I have other questions going back to two years ago, the accident he was involved in and what was the punishment that he served and why, why, why didn't he serve any type of punishment? You know, I mean that's a greater, for me, a greater question and concern. Instead of him serving 30 days in jail now because he used THC for some swelling in his knee.
Dan Bernstein
In March of 2004, Rice was the driver of a Lamborghini SUV. And that's another thing, by the way,
Matt Abeticola
the DVU, it was cyber trucks. Now we're going to go about Lamborghini SUVs and Porsche SUVs.
Dan Bernstein
I saw yesterday an Aston Martin SUV. Yeah, a green Aston Martin SUV. There's all kind. Look, I've owned SUVs. I, I own one now. I love it. But you don't need a Lamborghini suv. No, there's a lot of really good cars out there. Really well made Kias and Toyotas and Volvos and every, And I've owned, I owned a Honda Passport. I've owned all the different Volvo SUVs. There's some really good ones out there. I don't know that you need a Porsche or a Aston Martin or a Lamborghini. If you, if you can't, if you have that great man, more power to you. I just think for those cars, if you have the, if you feel the need for speed and the need for a brand that is known for get your two door penis replacement and not a soccer mom car.
Matt Abeticola
All right, so he's driving that SUV
Dan Bernstein
and he was driving at 119 miles an hour on Dallas's North Central Expressway leading to the multi car crash that left multiple people injured. Theodore Knox, one of Rice's SMU teammates, was the driver of a black Corvette. Knox and their free friends didn't check on those injured. Instead they fled on foot before police arrived. The incident was captured on video less than two weeks later. Rice took full responsibility and apologized in a statement he released before turning himself in. After an arrest warrant was issued, he pleaded guilty in district court to two third degree felony charges. Collision involving serious bodily injury and racing on a highway causing bodily injury Received deferred adjudication along with five years of probation. So because he got high, because I got high, he is a felon. It was completely in his control. And he decided that it was more important to do this, get caught and then become a convicted felon than just go along with the terms of a very lenient probation.
Matt Abeticola
Very lenient.
Dan Bernstein
He was suspended six games by the NFL for violating the personal conduct policy. And last month, a Texas court issued a default judgment against Theodore Knox, awarding one of the victims nearly $3 million, ruling Knox was grossly negligent after he and Rice lost control of their cars.
Matt Abeticola
If you want to race, don't do it on a highway where cars are driving.
Dan Bernstein
Go.
Matt Abeticola
Go find a place to race.
Dan Bernstein
Yeah, go to the Bonneville Salt Flats or something.
Matt Abeticola
Just go somewhere. I mean, you're an NFL star. You could probably find a racetrack somewhere that they would let you fucking drive around on.
Dan Bernstein
Or don't bother racing at all.
Matt Abeticola
Well, yeah, I mean, that makes. That makes more sense.
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Matt Abeticola
There is a something about the NFL schedule that I saw that, that was interesting that they've approved within the league. They have eight international games, nine total this year because of the deal the Jaguars have with Wembley Stadium, they have approved for 2027, 10 international games plus that one the Jaguars have with Wembley. So there will be 11 international games in 2027. So the expansion of international games and travel for the NFL will happen next season. So after this coming season. One thing that has changed, though that is interesting in this little note is that teams can no longer protect games. So with the scheduling of international games, each team had the right to protect two home games of their choosing. Okay, so let's say the Bears wanted to pick packers and Lions, right?
Dan Bernstein
That they don't want to waste that
Matt Abeticola
overseas, right, In London or Rio de Janeiro or whatever so they could protect those two games. So that right has been taken away from teams. They can no longer protect any home games. So it's expanding in the NFL and teams are losing that protection. It will still have to be approved by the nflpa, but as they have been increasing, it keeps getting approved by the nflpa. But that's a, That's a new twist to it where teams will no longer be able to protect any home games.
Dan Bernstein
Well, I hope that people realize the value of having. I know what's going to happen. As I was formulating the thought, I was already making fun of myself. I didn't even get. I didn't even get a fully formed thought because obviously the television ratings are going to determine where these games are played.
Matt Abeticola
Correct.
Dan Bernstein
Television ratings mean more. And I'm the person always referring to NFL stadiums as TV studios. And I've said, if you want to build your TV studio in Arlington Heights, you want to build your TV studio on a pile of human waste in a toxic swamp. It's still a TV studio. And I guess I got to apply exactly that logic when it comes to how the NFL looks at games and money and scheduling. If they can make more money from TV moving a Bears packers game to. To Papua New guinea, they'll do it.
Matt Abeticola
Yeah, for sure. They'll do it for sure. So I thought that was an interesting little, little change in what's happening where teams can no longer protect those games. And one, one note, because we've gotten some feedback about. That's the stadium issue for the Bears and saying that the Bears are not going to Hammond. Not going. It's not going to happen. And then we talk about the validity of the actual site itself not even being viable to play right now. And there's some feedback from listeners about, oh, I thought you guys didn't care that it was just, as you use that phrase, it's just a TV studio.
Dan Bernstein
We.
Matt Abeticola
We don't care. Like, we don't care if the Bears were going to go and play in Hammond, Indiana. It doesn't matter because we don't go to games. We're going to watch them on tv. It doesn't matter what they play. What we were saying about the Hammond site was it's not viable because it's a big pile of human shit. And the fact is, they'd have to spend about 30 million.
Dan Bernstein
That isn't a personal preference, right?
Matt Abeticola
Not at all.
Dan Bernstein
Go play wherever you want.
Matt Abeticola
Right.
Dan Bernstein
But they're just trying to tell you what's actually happening, what's real and what isn't real.
Matt Abeticola
That's all. And Hammond is not realistic because of that very fact that it is a big dump site, toxic waste site that would require anywhere from 250 to 300 million dollars just to clean. And that's if there isn't any water contamination, which would be extra cost just to clean it, to get it ready to build. That's why we're saying. We're not saying that. Oh, they can't go to. I don't give a. You could go play. You could just build another stadium next to Lambeau and playing in Green Bay, I don't care. But the Hammond site is not realistic. That's why we're saying it's not going to happen in Hammond. Not that we don't want it to. It doesn't matter. Why?
Dan Bernstein
Are people like fighting?
Matt Abeticola
No, just some feedback. Some feedback through emails and. Okay. Our YouTube stuff. That's all.
Dan Bernstein
I think we've been very clear about that.
Matt Abeticola
I thought we have been. I know, I know. I mean, you know, we can. I. I don't know.
Dan Bernstein
I don't want.
Matt Abeticola
I just wanted to clarify that.
Dan Bernstein
Okay, good. I, I didn't think we needed to, but.
Matt Abeticola
Well, I know. And every time I do clarify something, you always finish it up with I didn't think we needed to. Well, yeah, we, I never thought we need to either, but apparently we need to.
Dan Bernstein
Apparently that Grapevine Texas didn't know they
Matt Abeticola
had to tell somebody, not their.
Dan Bernstein
Not to drive their cybertruck into the lake.
Matt Abeticola
Oh my God. I just, I love that story about George though. Just up in a game and then some athletic director at a high school is like, hey, you want to know who you picked? Sure. Give me one second. Ball to. I need. Fine.
Dan Bernstein
He likes it.
Matt Abeticola
No, I love it. Again, I want to make it very clear it was nothing to be negative about George. It's just to show the wide range. And it fit into our conversation yesterday of maybe why isn't George more involved? Because I think George doesn't want to be more involved, which is great. Good for you, George.
Dan Bernstein
I mean there's a lot of people throughout the extended McCaskey family that would happy to be completely uninvolved in the football business entirely.
Matt Abeticola
Yes.
Dan Bernstein
That all they want is cash for their shares and. Or to be able to borrow against it or whatever it might be. They just, they just want to be done with it.
Matt Abeticola
Want the money.
Dan Bernstein
Right. Because they're, they're, they have a very famous and wealthy name and they're leading very normal middle class lives with an inability to actually cash in on the value of owning the Bears. Yes. Which has to kind of suck when you think about it.
Matt Abeticola
I think it would totally suck to
Dan Bernstein
have that and be like, I don't want it. I've seen a lot of this going on with. With White Sox shares, but it's very different because that is all limited partnership stuff. And I. I know some people who have now inherited their family's White Sox shares, and some people. Yeah, but. And others who've been there since. Since the Did. Since the. The purchase.
Matt Abeticola
Yeah.
Dan Bernstein
I'd be like, yeah, let's. You're gonna. When. When John and Michael Reinsdorf came through with that deal, like, here, sell us your shares and. Or, you know, whatever it is, 70 cents on the dollar, it was like, fine, done. I'll take the chunk of cash. Done. Forget it. My accountant's gonna be happy, too. There we go.
Matt Abeticola
All right, well, that'll do it for forward progress today.
Dan Bernstein
Yeah, we covered it. We got everything you needed. I don't think you need more than that. I think your day is set. And we'd also gave you your entire daily recommended allowance of both zinc and potassium. I don't know.
Matt Abeticola
Well, congratulations on that, people.
Dan Bernstein
What?
Matt Abeticola
I mean, we gave them zinc and potassium.
Dan Bernstein
We did. They don't need to consume any more for their recommended daily allowance because this show is part of this nutritious breakfast. And then I show the other things that are actually nutritious. A massive breakfast that no child has ever eaten. They would say that, you know, Captain Crunch is part of this nutritious breakfast. The Captain Crunch doesn't provide the nutrition, but it's part of the breakfast.
Matt Abeticola
It's just part of the. It's part of what's on the table.
Dan Bernstein
It's part of this nutrition. It's. That's. That was a staple of all the cereal ads.
Matt Abeticola
Right? Here's the nutritious meal over here.
Dan Bernstein
Correct.
Matt Abeticola
There's the cereal right here. It's all part of it.
Dan Bernstein
Right? But if I slide it closer, it becomes part of it, see? All right, then, we're helping you out
Matt Abeticola
right here on 312Sports
Dan Bernstein
for progress is stopped.
Matt Abeticola
Forward progress. Chicago Bears podcast with Dan Bernstein and Matt Abeticola on 312 Sports.
American Afterlife Podcast Announcer
Everybody talked about it since I first moved to Oregon. The big one. The earthquake that trashed the whole West Coast. Total destruction.
Matt Abeticola
Officially calling it the largest natural disaster in American history.
American Afterlife Podcast Announcer
I just didn't know what would help me next. So I took it all. Even the gun.
Dan Bernstein
It was time Cello see why American afterlife is the number one Fiction and Drama Podcast in America presented by Pair of Thieves. Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you listen to your favorite shows. Available now.
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Booking a verbo vacation rental means you get Verbo Care and 24. 7 Life Support, Verified Reviews from real guests and top rated homes with the Love by Guest filter.
American Afterlife Podcast Announcer
I just booked my VRBO because there
Dan Bernstein
was a sweet wine fridge.
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We all have our reasons. If you know you've Erbo terms apply. See vrbo.com trust for details.
Episode: NFL Weighs In: Breaking Down Roger Goodell’s Bears Stadium Comments
Date: May 20, 2026
Hosts: Dan Bernstein & Matt Abbatacola
This episode dives into Roger Goodell's recent comments on the Chicago Bears stadium situation, analyzes ongoing political tensions surrounding the project, and explores the broader implications of team ownership dynamics. Dan and Matt blend their classic mix of hard-nosed analysis, wit, and Bears fandom, covering local stadium politics, front office personalities, NFL scheduling predictions, a discussion on player conduct and marijuana policy, as well as new developments in NFL international games.
[02:00–04:54]
[05:03–06:30]
[06:35–13:21]
[13:21–14:37]
[14:58–19:55]
[19:55–29:47]
[30:30–33:25]
[33:25–34:52]
[34:52–36:47]
The conversation remains casual, witty, and informed—full of local cynicism, honest takes, and the hosts’ signature blend of expertise and humor. Their rapport keeps the episode engaging, even during more technical or policy-heavy segments.
This episode covers everything from the state of the Bears stadium saga to deeper questions about how NFL teams are run and the forces shaping the league’s future. If you want the real story behind the headlines—and some good-natured shade thrown at city, state, and league officials—Dan and Matt deliver.