Chargers Owner Dean Spanos Makes Team's Move To Los Angeles Official
BOSTON (CBS) -- The San Diego Chargers are no more.
Team owner Dean Spanos wrote a letter on Thursday, making official the franchise's move north, where they'll now be known as the Los Angeles Chargers.
Spanos' statement is below:
After much deliberation, I have made the decision to relocate the Chargers to Los Angeles, beginning with the 2017 NFL season.
San Diego has been our home for 56 years. 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.
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. 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.
Dean Spanos
Soon after, the Chargers' new logo was released:
The Chargers' move comes after San Diego voters rejected a referendum in November that would have publicly funded a new stadium for the team.
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell stated multiple times that keeping the team in San Diego was the league's priority, and the NFL intended to fully support all efforts to prevent the team from moving to a new city. But the failure of the team to secure public funding for new facilities was likely the final chance San Diego had of keeping the team.
The Chargers will now become the second team to move to Los Angeles in as many years. The Rams moved to L.A. from St. Louis prior to last season.
The franchise spent its first season in Los Angeles in 1960 before moving to San Diego from 1961-2016.
