The Athletics Don Banks joined the Darren Smith Show on 1090 AM in San Diego on Thursday to discuss the disastrous Los Angeles Chargers. This week, Banks wrote a piece about how quickly things have gone south for Dean Spanos and his team in LA and during the interview he went ever further.
Banks even suggested the NFL is quietly talking about forcing the team back to San Diego.
Banks has talked to a number of people inside the league and when asked what they think of Spanos, his response was telling:
I have been painted a picture from people Ive talked to that the league was sympathetic
to Dean Spanos plight. Feels like he had been a league guy feels like he had waited kind of his turn on the relocation front, thought he had the votes the year before Jerry Jones and Stan Kroenke pretty much outmaneuvered Dean and Mark Davis with the Raiders to be the first in line for LA. So it was almost as if this was a bit of a make up.
I can tell you this Darren, there are people in the league including the commissioner they did not want to see San Diego forsaken. They would rather there be a team in San Diego. If theres anything viable that they could find to put the league back in to San Diego, I think they will be in that camp strongly.
When discussing the optics of empty stadiums and the Chargers not being able to fill a 27,000-seat stadium with their own fans, Banks had this to say:
Theyre saying the right things now and theyre going to keep a stiff upper lip and say that we knew that this was going to be a hard slog uphill. Theres a lot of concern already. And theres a lot of people who are thinking, How can we put up with these optics for the next three years if the Chargers cant improve the situation in Carson?'
When asked if he believed the league was possibly talking about forcing the Chargers back to San Diego if things dont improve, Banks was blunt:
I think theyre talking about it. I do. I think theres already a level of concern at how far south its gone, that there are at least people talking about it
I dont think a true tipping point has been reached, its too early for that. But I think theres enough concern that people are saying, Whats the best option perhaps among bad options?'
The fact that were heading into Week 3 of the regular season and people around the league are already talking about moving the Chargers back to San Diego is simply incredible.
