Running back LaDainian Tomlinson signed a one-day contract
with the San Diego Chargers last June in order to officially retire with the
team. Apparently the Chargers want to extend that deal, as Tomlinson told Michael Silver of Yahoo! Sports that he was offered an opportunity to rejoin San Diego “in
a very real capacity.”
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Tomlinson said that he initially didn’t think the Chargers
were being serious, but he came to understand that the team was genuinely
offering him a chance to return in a limited role.
"I met [new general manager] Tom Telesco and [rookie
head coach] Mike McCoy at the [NFL scouting] combine, and they asked me to come
back and play," Tomlinson said. "I saw [executive vice president]
John Spanos at a restaurant in Indy, and he introduced me to them, and they
brought it up. At first I thought they weren't really serious, but they kept
talking about it, and I realized it was real. They said, 'You can come back and
carry it 10 or 12 times a game. We'd like to have you here.' "
While he was flattered by the offer, Tomlinson said that he
has no plans on returning to the NFL. He told Silver that he “wrestled” with his
decision to retire from the game, and once he did so he “knew it was final.” He
says that his mind is now in a different place, adding that “going back would
have been too hard.”
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