Chargers Officially Moving From San Diego To Los Angeles

SAN DIEGO, CA – The Chargers confirmed Thursday that the team is moving from San Diego to Los Angeles.

"After much deliberation, I have made the decision to relocate the Chargers to Los Angeles, beginning with the 2017 NFL season," Chargers chairman Dean Spanos said in a letter posted on the team's website.

"San Diego has been our home for 56 years," the statement continued. "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. But today, we turn the page and begin an exciting new era as the Los Angeles Chargers.

The Chargers played their inaugural season in Los Angeles in 1960 before moving to San Diego in 1961.

With the move back to LA, the Chargers will join the Rams, who relocated to the city one year ago.

The Rams and the Chargers will share a stadium that is being built in Inglewood. While the stadium is under construction, Chargers will play their home games at StubHub Center in Carson in Los Angeles County, according to ESPN.

"LA is a remarkable place, and while we played our first season there in 1960 and have had fans there ever since, our entire organization knows that we have a tremendous amount of work to do," Spanos said in the statement.

"We must earn the respect and support of LA football fans. We must get back to winning. And, we must make a meaningful contribution, not just on the field, but off the field as a leader and champion for the community. The Chargers are determined to fight for LA and we are excited to get started.''

ESPN Insider Adam Schefter, citing sources, broke the news of a coming announcement shortly before 7 p.m. Wednesday on Twitter.

"A stunner: Chargers plan to announce as early as Thursday they are moving to LA, ending 55-year stint with SD, league sources tell ESPN," he tweeted.

The tweet came just hours after the NFL announced Wednesday that Spanos was given two more days to decide whether to remain in San Diego or move the team to Los Angeles.

The deadline was extended from Sunday to Tuesday as team owners on the stadium and finance committees met in New York on Wednesday to discuss stadium situations in San Diego and Oakland.

“The deadline for the San Diego Chargers to exercise the option to relocate to Los Angeles is January 15,” league spokesman Brian McCarthy said in a statement. “Given the 15th falls on a Sunday of a playoff weekend and Monday is the federal holiday celebrating the birthday of Martin Luther King Jr., we are extending the deadline on exercising the option until Tuesday, January 17.”

The team has been seeking a new stadium in San Diego for more than 15 years.

Measure C, which would have raised hotel room taxes to provide the public portion of the cost of building a downtown San Diego stadium, was defeated in November. Because of the tax increase, the ballot measure required two-thirds approval to pass, but it failed to even get a simple majority.

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said the team "worked tirelessly this past year with local officials and community leaders on a ballot initiative that fell short on election day."

"That work – and the years of effort that preceded it – reflects our strongly held belief we always should do everything we can to keep a franchise in its community," he said. "That’s why we have a deliberate and thoughtful process for making these decisions."

Political leaders in San Diego disputed Goodell's claim in a news conference.

Mayor Kevin Faulconer said the Chargers rejected every offer, including one made just a few weeks ago.

"At the end of the day, the Chargers wanted a lot more taxpayer money than we could ever agree to," Faulconer said.

"We could not support a deal that is not in the best interest of San Diego," the mayor said. "Dean Spanos made a bad decision and he will regret it. San Diego didn't lose the Chargers. The Chargers just lost San Diego."

Other area officials were harsher in their assessments.

City Councilman Scott Sherman said the ownership was a problem throughout the whole process, and they never gave a straight answer to anything.

"(Chargers stadium counsel) Mark Fabiani and Dean Spanos have tirelessly worked behind the scenes to subvert every single action of the City Council and this mayor have done to try and put something on the table to try and keep the Chargers here," Sherman said.

San Diego State University President Elliot Hirshman, who helped craft a last-ditch offer to Spanos, said countless good-faith discussions were held on the stadium issue.

"Unfortunately, we didn't have a good faith partner," Hirshman said, referring to the Chargers.

SDSU stands to benefit from the team's departure through redevelopment of the Qualcomm Stadium site, which college officials have eyed for years for expansion. The site could also hold a new stadium for the Aztecs football program, as well as a professional soccer team.

Even though the team will play in a neighboring city, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti seemed ecstatic at the news.

"Los Angeles is one of the world's great sports towns. Championship teams and iconic athletes aren't just memories here – they are legends woven into the fabric of our history," Garcetti said in a statement. "Today, we welcome an important part of that history back with the Chargers returning to Los Angeles.

"LA already has more visitors than ever before," he added. "The Chargers will make our NFL tradition even richer, and give sports fans everywhere one more reason to be in Los Angeles. I congratulate Dean Spanos and the entire Chargers organization, and look forward to the extraordinary contributions they will make to our entire region.''

In an interview with KNX 1070, Inglewood Mayor James T. Butts added: "We're ecstatic."

The Chargers also unveiled a logo with a white, italicized LA on a field of dark Dodger blue, with the base of the L in the form a lightning bolt.

Goodell expressed sympathy for Charger fans, noting their "strong and loyal support" for the team over the past half-century.

"As difficult as the news is for Charger fans, I know Dean Spanos and his family did everything they could to try to find a viable solution in San Diego," he said.

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City News Service contributed to this report. Photo courtesy of the San Diego Chargers.