The San Diego Chargers quit dipping their toe in the baby pool and took a plunge into the deep end Monday night, officially filing papers with the NFL for relocation to Los Angeles.
The Raiders and Rams also filed relocation papers on Monday.
In a statement released, the Chargers said it was "sad to have reached this point" and in a video posted by the team, Dean Spanos called it the "single most difficult decision I've ever made."
Today the San Diego Chargers submitted to the National Football League the team’s application to relocate 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. Despite these efforts, there is still no certain, actionable solution to the stadium problem. We are sad to have reached this point.
What happens next is in the hands of the NFL’s owners, who will meet in Houston on January 12-13. The Chargers have pledged from the outset to respect whatever decision the League ownership makes.
The Rams were less ... wordy.
The St. Louis Rams informed the National Football League today that the Rams propose to relocate to the greater Los Angeles metropolitan area. The relocation would be effective for the 2016 NFL League Year.
Spanos emphasized that decision-making issue when discussing the coming week with a potential vote coming down from NFL owners and pointed out it's a "fluid situation."
"The owners will come together and they will come to some resolve," Spanos said. "There's no certainty on anything. As I sit here, this is a very fluid situation.
"Nobody knows anything for sure. But as we've said all along, whatever the decision of the owners is we'll abide by."
The National Football League released a statement late Monday night on the three teams' formal applications:
Three teams -- the Oakland Raiders, St. Louis Rams, and San Diego Chargers -- each submitted applications to our office today to relocate their franchises to the Los Angeles area beginning with the 2016 season. Each team submitted the appropriate documentation in support of its application as required by the NFL Policy and Procedures for Proposed Franchise Relocations.
The applications will be reviewed this week by league staff and three league committees that will meet in New York on Wednesday and Thursday -- the Los Angeles Opportunities, Stadium, and Finance committees. The applications will be presented for consideration at next week’s league meeting in Houston on Tuesday and Wednesday. The relocation of a franchise requires the affirmative vote of three-quarters of the NFL clubs (24 of 32).
Making matters potentially awkward, Spanos said the Chargers will stay in San Diego if the owners don't approve the team's relocation.
"Well we're back here and we'll be here for the next year for sure," Spanos said. "We'll look at all the possibilities with the city and see what our alternatives could be."
Any team that does relocate will be subject to a $550 million relocation fee per NFL.com.
