Tomlinson still loyal to Chargers despite move
SAN DIEGO » One of the greatest moments in San Diego Chargers history came on Dec. 10, 2006, when LaDainian Tomlinson swept left and into the record book.
With the capacity crowd at Qualcomm Stadium on its feet, Tomlinson scored his third touchdown of the day and his 29th of the season, breaking the NFL’s single-season record.
He was engulfed by his massive offensive linemen, hoisted onto their shoulders and carried toward the sideline. Tomlinson held the ball high in his right hand while waving his left index finger as the crowd chanted “L.T.! L.T.!” and “MVP! MVP!”
Tomlinson finished with 31 touchdowns, 28 rushing, in one of the greatest seasons in NFL history. He also ran away with the Most Valuable Player Award.
Those magical days are long gone, as are the San Diego Chargers. They officially ceased to exist on Jan. 12, when chairman Dean Spanos announced he was moving the team to a Los Angeles suburb.
The San Diego Chargers will live on, though, through players such as Tomlinson, who will be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame on Saturday.
Many fans are still angry at Spanos for bailing for Los Angeles, where the Chargers will play in a 30,000-seat soccer stadium before moving into a stadium being built by Rams owner Stan Kroenke. Some have been further incensed because Tomlinson, once universally beloved in San Diego, has taken a job as a special assistant to Spanos.
Tomlinson said he isn’t conflicted in the slightest as he prepares to accept his Hall of Fame bust.
“I’m going in as a San Diego Charger because that’s who I played for,” Tomlinson said. “And I recognize that you cannot erase the history of 56 years in San Diego. However, I do realize that I now work for Dean Spanos and the L.A. Chargers, and so there’s no conflict there. I know who I played for, but now in my retirement I now work for the L.A. Chargers, who, in my mind they’re the Chargers.
“To me it’s always been about the lightning bolt. And that’s my thought about conflict and what not.”
But Tomlinson, inspired in his youth by watching Walter Payton and Emmitt Smith, said it hasn’t been easy.
“It’s been a lot of, I won’t say sleepless nights, but tossing and turning sometimes at night wondering if I’m making the right decision,” Tomlinson said. “But at the end of the day, I love both. I have the bolt tattoo on my calf, there’s no secret about that. There’s a part of me that always will be. But the same goes with the community. I came were as a 21-yearold kid and I left a 30-yearold man. So I learned how to be a man in this community. So I’m kind of torn. I can’t have one without the other. The Chargers were here for 56 years and it’s hard to just get over that.
“I completely understand how people are feeling. My hope is that one day they can start to forgive. People want me to choose a side, but that’s not who I am at the core of my soul and spirit. I can’t chose either side. I want to be on both sides. But I understand how people are feeling right now. My hope is they can forgive me because I feel like I’m doing something right.”
Tomlinson played nine mostly brilliant seasons for the Chargers (2001-2009) before being released for salary cap reasons and because his role had decreased. He played two seasons with the New York Jets before retiring.
Tomlinson rushed for 12,490 yards and 138 touchdowns with the Chargers, club records by far. He won NFL rushing titles in 2006 and ’07.