CHICAGO (AP) — The Chicago Bears have ended a pregame perk that prompted a lawsuit by a lifelong Green Bay Packers fan who wanted to wear the Wisconsin team’s green and gold apparel to warmups at Soldier Field.
Bears attorney Paul Greenwalt tells The Chicago Tribune that the team is eliminating the program that allows season ticket holders to attend pregame warmups in a marketing reorganization. He says that means Russell Beckman’s lawsuit is no longer applicable.
Beckman, of Mount Pleasant, Wisconsin, filed the lawsuit in 2017 accusing the Bears of violating his free-speech rights by prohibiting fans from wearing Packers gear at the warmups.
A judge has given the team until mid-February to file for dismissal. The Bears sought to have the case dismissed last year, but the motion was denied.
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