Former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich said the Chicago Bears and the state of Illinois have moved past flirtation and into divorce, blasting Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker (D) and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson on Newsmax this week as the franchise edges toward Hammond, Indiana.

“I think this is a lot more than flirtation. I think this is more than kissing,” Blagojevich said.

“I think they’ve consummated the relationship, and they’re going to get married, and they’ve left in the wake those of us who love the Bears,” he said.

The Bears’ board of directors voted June 5 to advance a stadium project in Hammond, with the exact site still to be selected, ending years of stalled talks with Chicago and Arlington Heights.

Chairman George McCaskey and President and CEO Kevin Warren said the team believes “a world-class stadium project in Hammond will transform the region.”

As of Tuesday, no final site has been chosen, and the NFL has not voted on relocation; if the move holds, the Bears will play home games outside Illinois for the first time in the franchise’s 106-year history.

Appearing on “The Record With Greta Van Susteren,” Blagojevich placed the blame squarely on the state’s two top Democrats.

“The problem with our two leaders is they’re more concerned about fighting for the rights of illegal immigrants, giving sanctuary to them, and not caring about whether the Bears stay in Illinois or in Chicago,” he said, calling the looming departure “gubernatorial malpractice by Governor Pritzker and mayoral malpractice by Brandon Johnson.”

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