Chargers offer to push back contract reopener date

Monday December 16, 2002

By BERNIE WILSON
AP Sports Writer

SAN DIEGO (AP) The San Diego Chargers claimed Monday they've met the criteria to trigger an ``out'' clause in their lease at Qualcomm Stadium, but offered to delay doing so until March 1 so a citizens task force can finish studying ways to keep the team in town.

The Chargers, who say they need a new stadium to remain economically competitive, made the offer six days after the City Council rejected their request to conduct private talks with city officials about ending their controversial lease, which runs through 2020.

``We just wanted to do everything possible to remain in San Diego,'' said Mark Fabiani, a former Clinton White House lawyer who's now special counsel to the Chargers. ``We want to bend over backward. We just feel like we need to give this process every possible chance.''

Dec. 1 was the start of a 60-day period in which the Chargers can notify the city that they've met a complicated financial formula that allows them to renegotiate their lease. Once they trigger, the team and the city would have 90 days to negotiate.

If they can't cut a deal, the Chargers could seek an offer from another city, such as Los Angeles. San Diego has the right to match another city's offer; otherwise, the Chargers can terminate the lease.

The earliest the Chargers could leave San Diego is Feb. 1, 2004.

The Chargers have offered to delay the start of the 60-day period to March 1. That would give the task force time to present its recommendation on the Chargers' future to the City Council, probably by late February.

It would also be well after San Diego hosts the Super Bowl on Jan. 26.

In a statement, Mayor Dick Murphy said he supports extending the trigger period. He said he will ask the task force to make a recommendation to the City Council, which ultimately will decide whether to accept the Chargers' offer. The council doesn't meet again until early January.

``I believe this is a positive action by the Chargers,'' Murphy said.

The Chargers' offer was met with optimism and pessimism by members of the task force.

``The trigger would create a negative cloud over everything,'' task force chairman David Watson said. ``This would allow us to get our work done without that hanging over us. I see it as a really good sign.''

Fabiani said the Chargers would trigger in March, and hopes that talks with the city would be non-controversial.

Task force member Bruce Henderson, a frequent critic of the city's dealings with pro sports teams, was encouraged to hear of the Chargers' offer but was skeptical because the task force says it hasn't been given financial documents it requested.

``Before we'd accept the offer, the city should insist that the Chargers deliver the calculations and the numbers so they can be independently verified because I still don't believe they can trigger,'' Henderson said.

Fabiani wouldn't release figures to prove the Chargers could trigger.

``That would happen if we trigger,'' he said. ``But right now what we've done is offer the city and experts a chance to come in and review the numbers. It's an offer we've made before, and an offer we're repeating.

``We're way over the threshold. It's not a close call,'' Fabiani said.

The Chargers' current lease is controversial because of the trigger clause and a clause that guarantees the team revenue equal to the sale of 60,000 general admission tickets for each home game until 2007. The city has already paid the Chargers more than $25 million under the guarantee.

(Copyright 2002 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)