ESPN's Adam Schefter and Kimberley A. Martin reported on Friday that LA Chargers owner Dean Spanos was being sued by his sister, Dea Spanos Berberian, in a lawsuit that calls for Dean to be removed as a co-trustee. Berberian alleges Spanos has "misogynistic behavior and repeated breaches of fiduciary duty".
Chargers’ owner Dean Spanos is being sued by his sister, Dea Spanos Berberian, for alleged misogynistic behavior and repeated breaches of fiduciary duty, per me and @ByKimberleyA. Lawsuit was filed today in California and calls for Dean Spanos to be removed as a co-trustee. pic.twitter.com/EYYMAnUjJv
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) June 10, 2022
Additional reports of the lawsuit have not yet been reported but this is not the first legal case between Spanos and Berberian. Last year, Berberian filed a petition in LA County to force Spanos to sell the team to pay off existing debts.
The NFL's response to this claim is worth monitoring. If Spanos were to lose the case, it would likely begin the process of the franchise eventually being sold. Some optimistic fans on social media are hoping that Spanos will sell the team and whoever buys the Chargers will move the team back to San Diego.
News flash: The LA Chargers are not moving back to San Diego.
First of all, celebrating this lawsuit because of any potential distain for Spanos as the Chargers owner is ill-willed. We should not be celebrating this kind of alleged behavior just because it means it could signal an ownership change. There is a real issue with women in sports and overlooking that because of an opinion on the ownership group is defeating the entire purpose.
If the alleged behavior is proven true and Spanos has to step down it does not open the door for the Chargers to move to San Diego. Sure, there could be an ownership change, but it is not like the new owner will suddenly come in and uproot the team back down the I-5.
The Chargers are in an agreement to stay at SoFi Stadium until 2040, which instantly makes things tough. New ownership could probably negate that agreement or work out some sort of buyout clause, but that would be just one of many hurdles.
Where would the Chargers play? Qualcomm has been destroyed and we already know that the city does not want to pay for the stadium. To move back to San Diego, the Chargers would have to be bought by someone who wants to move the team and is willing to pay for a brand-new stadium.
What a lot of fans are missing is the fact that if the Chargers go up for sale, whoever buys the team is going to be buying them BECAUSE they are in Los Angeles. The franchise value has steadily risen in LA as the team was worth just under $3 billion last year. By the time the 2022 season finishes, the franchise value will likely be over $3 billion and will continue to climb.
MUST-READ: Where Brandon Staley ranks among NFL coach hierarchy
Los Angeles is the second-largest media market in the country. There are far more financial implications of staying in LA versus moving back to San Diego on top of all the hoops that would need to be jumped through.