“BOLTMAN” TO NFL: MOVING CHARGERS TO L.A. WOULD VIOLATE ANTI-TRUST ACT

By Miriam Raftery

Photo: Boltman's Facebook page for fans

August 19, 2015 (San Diego)—Striking a blow for Chargers’ fans, Dan Jauregui,  a loyal fan known as the “Boltman” fired off a letter yesterday to NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and NFL Chief legal officer Anastasia Danias. The letter contends that moving the Chargers to Carson is a violation of both the NFL constitution’s bylaws and the federal Sherman Antitrust Act.

“Me and other loyal  Chargers fans are prepared to spearhead an initiative to force the City to file a lawsuit against the NFL unless the League and the Chargers enter into serious talks to keep the team in San Degio,” Jauregui’s letter states. 

The Chargers pitched a plan for a shared $1.7 stadium  with the Raiders in Carson near Los Angeles on Monday at the Los Angeles Sports Council’s luncheon, after making the same presentation last week to NFL owners and commissioner Goodell. 

But Jauregui notes in a notice sent to media, “NFL policy requires a team to negotiate in good faith before a franchise can relocate. The league and the Chargers have failed to do that and have rejected every effort to keep the team in San Diego.”   

San Diego’s Mayor, City Council, Board of Supervisors and City Attorney have worked hard to produce a plan to approve and construct a new stadium on a short timetable, as the Chargers demanded, only to have the team continue moving forward on its Los Angeles plans, the Boltman observes.

Moving a team isn’t only a blow to fans; it also means lost revenues and jobs for the San Diego region. So the Boltman concludes,  “Unless the NFL and the Chargers come to the table for meaningful, good-faith negotiations on staying in San Diego County, we will launch an initiative to have the City retain a team of experienced sports antitrust lawyers starting with the law office of Weil, Gotshal  & Manges LLP to stop the move.”

In his notice to media sent on behalf of “loyal Charger fans,”   Jauregui concludes, “We fans stand ready to act if the illegal behavior is not stopped. Rest assured, we will not give up the Chargers without a fight!”