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In what has been a rollercoaster morning for Chargers fans, there has been a lot of rumors and a lot of material to cover to keep on top of topics. The dilemma facing the organization is that The Athletic put out an article last night that claimed that ‘NFL Sources’ had confirmed that the Chargers were seriously considering a move to London.
The article went on to indicate that the Chargers’ interest might not have been the catalyst, but rather that they would “listen” to any proposals made by the NFL or London regarding a potential move.
The article’s writer, Vincent Bonsignore, doubled-down on his report’s accuracy, and the concept that the leak was not intended to instead spur the Jaguars, but rather indicated the true feelings of the Chargers organization.
Can assure you that isn't the case whatsoever. https://t.co/bpAOUnFg2m
— Vincent Bonsignore (@VinnyBonsignore) November 5, 2019
He was candid in his response to the article.
After the sports world began to run with the story, the Chargers felt that they could no longer leave the situation unaddressed. Chargers owner Dean Spanos was more frank than any other NFL representative in recent memory, and left no room for confusion in the team’s official stance. As indicated above, his comments were not necessarily work appropriate.
#Chargers owner Dean Spanos called story speculating move to London “a lot of crap. We’re not going to London. We’re not going anywhere. We plan to be in LA for a long fucking time. That was bullshit, that story.”
— Mike DiGiovanna (@MikeDiGiovanna) November 5, 2019
As if to confirm that there is no wavering from this as the official Chargers POV, their Twitter channel offered similarly frank sentiments (though taking careful care not to risk a call from HR).
— Los Angeles Chargers (@Chargers) November 5, 2019
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While the rumors and distractions will surely continue onward, the Chargers are taking one of the most unwavering and strong stances on an otherwise controversial topic as any sports franchise has in a long time. They are leaving no room for doubt that they are officially open for business in LA, and labeling every rumor to the contrary as an outright lie.
There are, of course, business concerns when it comes to an uncertain future and potential advertising partners in 2020 and beyond. It makes all of the sense in the world to quash what could really hurt the team’s potential income. Their strength of message also would shut the door on any back-room partnership discussions with London representatives, if any discussions would ever take place, making it clear that they intend to stay the course in LA.
Thus, for those keeping tabs at home, we can reasonably erase the upper echelons of the Chargers organization as the source for the Athletic report
-Jason “To be Frank, don’t call me Shirley” Michaels