Eric Weddle Goes Off On Chargers, Throws Shade At Spanos Family

Eric Weddle was a rock at the back of the San Diego Chargers’ defense for nine years. After being selected by the franchise in the second round of the 2007 NFL Draft, he went on to be a five-time All-Pro for the organization. He was a Ring of Honor candidate who is almost universally beloved by Chargers fans. And now he wants nothing to do with the organization.

Weddle was a fan favorite in San Diego for years. He was one of the faces of the franchise and a guy who fully embraced being in Snsa Diego and being a Charger. He was everything a franchise could want as a representative. And he was treated like absolute garbage by the team’s ownership and management before being run out of town in 2015.

Now the Chargers are in Los Angeles and with the same ownership and leadership in place and Weddle has no interest in a reconciliation.

The 33-year-old safety with a first-ballot Hall of Fame beard went on Jim Rome’s podcast this week and dropped the following bomb when asked if the Chargers were still dead to him:

"“That’s a great question. Time does heal all, but for me — I don’t know if I can answer that quite honestly. What they did to me, I don’t know if I could ever just go up to them and act like nothing happened. So, you know, when that time comes around…I know this for a fact: that until, as long as that management is there, I’ll never set foot anywhere near that place. That is for a fact. “No one should get treated like that. No one.”"

In case you’re not aware, Weddle was objectively treated like garbage during his last season in San Diego. He all but begged for a contract extension from the Chargers because he wanted to keep his family in San Diego. Management refused to offer him anything resembling a decent deal.

During Week 16 of what was a lost season in 2015, Weddle remained on the field during halftime to watch his daughter perform during the halftime show. A veteran leader who had given nine years to an organization should get some leeway for something like that, instead the Chargers fined him $10,000. It was the last time he’d wear a Chargers uniform, as they put him on injured reserve for Week 17 against his wishes.

At the time, Weddle was vocal that he was being treated terribly, and virtually everyone agreed with him. As free agency opened in 2016 he signed a four-year, $26 million deal with the Ravens. He’s been a Pro Bowler during both his seasons in Baltimore, so the joke is on the Chargers.

Weddle went on to say he wished his old teammates well but it’s clear he has animosity towards the team’s leadership and the Spanos family. He also dove in to the issue of the family ripping the Chargers from San Diego and had this to say:

"“As everyone knows, with what they did to the city of San Diego and then they moved, (people) obviously (know) I was telling the truth the entire time.”"

That’s harsh but completely fair. The Spanos family showed their true colors in running Weddle out of San Diego, just like they did with Junior Seau and LaDainian Tomlinson before him. Loyalty and respect don’t mean anything in their world and never have.