As many expected, owners of the San Diego Chargers have submitted a formal application to the National Football League, seeking to relocate the team to Los Angeles.
“We have tried for more than 14 years, through nine separate proposals and seven different mayors, to create a world-class stadium experience for fans in San Diego,” the team said in a statement. “ Despite these efforts, there is still no certain, actionable solution to the stadium problem. We are sad to have reached this point.”
NFL owners, meeting in Houston Jan. 12-13, are expected to review the Chargers application, along with those also submitted Jan. 4 by owners of the Oakland Raiders and St. Louis Rams. Any relocations will require the approval of at least 24 of the NFL’s 32 team owners.
“The Chargers have pledged from the outset to respect whatever decision the League ownership makes,” the team statement said.
In its own statement, the NFL said applications will be reviewed later this week by league staff and three league committees meeting in New York. They will then be presented in Houston to league owners, who could approve, reject or delay relocations for each of the three teams.
Jan. 4 was the first day that teams were eligible to petition the league, under the NFL’s formal policies related to franchise relocations.
The Chargers several weeks ago walked away from negotiations with local government leaders aimed at building a new stadium on the current site of Qualcomm Stadium in Mission Valley. The Chargers have since been working on plans to develop a new stadium in the Los Angeles suburb of Carson, where it could partner with the Oakland Raiders.
