Chargers News: NFL votes to build in Inglewood, not Carson
Leading up to the NFL owners’ meetings on Jan. 12, Chargers fans were in a state of confusion and fear over the thought of their team leaving San Diego in pursuit of playing future games in Carson.
However, at the conclusion of the owners’ meeting, the only news was that the Rams were given permission to move to Inglewood, where they will open a brand new state of the art facility in 2019, according to NBC San Diego.
Chargers owner Dean Spanos pushed hard for months to build support among his fellow owners to approve the Carson location. However, he didn’t get his way in the end, as the owners preferred to approve the plan presented by Rams owner Stan Kroenke.
Now, Spanos is faced with making a decision. He could opt to form an equity partnership with Kroenke and share the Inglewood stadium. He could choose to lease the stadium. Or, he could decide to stay in San Diego. He has until the conclusion of the owners’ meetings on March 23 to make that decision.
While Spanos appeared unhappy about the decision, he vowed to take an objective look at his options and make a decision in the near future, according to NBC San Diego.
NBC San Diego also reported that at the conclusion of the first vote, which was 2012 in favor of Kroenke’s proposal, Spanos appeared unhappy despite agreeing to whichever decision the NFL made. The local news affiliate also reported that NFL commissioner Roger Goodell called Kroenke, Spanos and Raiders owner Mark Davis into a private room to work out their issues. It was there that Davis backed out completely, leaving Spanos and the Chargers as the only contender to join the Rams in Los Angeles.
It is uncertain at this point what Spanos will decide to do, but this is known: the Chargers are believed to play in San Diego for at least one more season. Anything beyond that is still up in the air.
San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer has already made it known that the city will make an effort to work with Spanos to approve a new stadium deal in San Diego, as long as Spanos shows sincerity in wanting to stay. Faulconer said that the city won’t allow Spanos to carry on with a charade, according to NBC San Diego.
So, the wait for Chargers fans continues. The future of the team is still not yet known, even though everyone was sure that the Chargers would bolt, no pun intended, for LA as soon as the chance presented itself.
Will they be the Los Angeles Chargers in 2017? Or will the city complete a Hail Mary and keep them in San Diego for the remainder of their days.
The wait continues.
Mike is the sports editor for the Fayette Advertiser, and has been with East Village Times since 2015. His work has appeared on Bleacher Report. He is an avid Padres fan who is keeping the faith and trusting the process.