It’s official: The Chargers are relocating from San Diego to Los Angeles.
Chargers owner Dean Spanos announced the decision in a letter released by the team while informing his staff about the move Thursday morning. The Chargers had until a league-mandated deadline of Tuesday to make a decision on their future.
“After much deliberation, I have made the decision to relocate the Chargers to Los Angeles, beginning with the 2017 NFL season,” Spanos wrote in the letter. “San Diego has been our home for 56 years. It will always be part of our identity, and my family and I have nothing but gratitude and appreciation for the support and passion our fans have shared with us over the years.”
The move comes after Spanos told NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, other league officials and a few team owners of his intentions following the committee meetings Wednesday, sources informed of the situation told NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport. During those meetings, the Chargers were barely a topic and the league did not offer any additional money to contribute to their stadium efforts.
In November, San Diego voters rejected a ballot measure that would have raised hotel occupancy taxes to help pay for a proposed $1.8 billion downtown stadium project. Ultimately, Spanos, San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer and other city and county officials failed to agree upon a stadium plan that would have kept the franchise in San Diego.
Goodell acknowledged last month at the Winter League Meeting that “no great progress” had been made in finding a stadium solution in San Diego and owners were not optimistic about the Chargers‘ future in the city.
Last month, the Chargers agreed to lease a portion of an Orange County office facility as part of their preparations for a potential L.A. move.
The Costa Mesa, California, location will be the Chargers‘ new front-office home, the team previously confirmed. The Chargers would eventually play their home games roughly 40 miles north in Inglewood at a stadium facility they would share with the Rams. They would also have offices at the Inglewood stadium, which is under construction and slated to open in 2019.
The Chargers have until May 1 to terminate their lease with Qualcomm Stadium and with their training facility. They also now owe a $12 million termination fee to the city and will have to be out of Chargers Park by July 1.
As for where in the L.A. area they might play in 2017, the StubHub Center in Carson will serve as the team’s temporary home until the Inglewood stadium is built. In addition, the Chargers will unveil a new team logo on Thursday, Rapoport reported.
The decision to move ends the Chargers‘ 55-year stint in San Diego, but it’s not the first time the team has played in L.A. During their inaugural season in 1960, the then-American Football League franchise played in Los Angeles before moving to San Diego the following season.
As it stands, the Los Angeles market will play host to two NFL teams in 2017 for the first time since 1994, when the Raiders and Rams left for Oakland and St. Louis, respectively. The Rams returned to L.A. last January.
Source: NFL.com
