Chargers rescind offer to first-rounder Bosa

In this May 13, 2016, file photo, San Diego Chargers rookie defensive end Joey Bosa trains during an NFL football rookie training camp in San Diego. The Chargers have withdrawn their contract offer to first-round draft pick Joey Bosa and will restructure a new deal that takes into account his absence from the team.
In this May 13, 2016, file photo, San Diego Chargers rookie defensive end Joey Bosa trains during an NFL football rookie training camp in San Diego. The Chargers have withdrawn their contract offer to first-round draft pick Joey Bosa and will restructure a new deal that takes into account his absence from the team.

SAN DIEGO -- Joey Bosa's holdout turned ugly Wednesday when the San Diego Chargers pulled their contract offer to the first-round draft pick and said they'll restructure a new deal that would reflect him playing less than a full season.

Bosa has missed all of training camp as his agents and the team wrangle over how much of his $17 million signing bonus he'll get up front, as well as offset language in the case he gets cut.

The Chargers were counting on the former Ohio State star to help bolster their pass rush and bring some excitement to a season that could be pivotal to their future in San Diego.

It's not clear whether Bosa is willing to sit out the season. Also unclear is how the situation could affect the Chargers' push for $1.1 billion in a public subsidy for a new downtown stadium, which could be their last chance at remaining in San Diego.

Bosa is the only first-rounder who has not signed.

San Diego said it offered an initial signing bonus payment larger than any draftee received in the past two drafts, and more money in 2016 than any draftee except Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz.

The Chargers' statement on Bosa came just 30 minutes after they released an economic study that shows a combined downtown stadium and an off-site expansion to the city's convention center will result in a "significant positive impact" on San Diego's convention and hotel industry. The Chargers will ask voters on Nov. 8 to approve a 4 percent increase in the hotel tax to help pay for the $1.8 billion project.

Three other studies have been released showing that the benefits of the project won't match its cost.

The Chargers already face an uphill fight. The measure must receive two-thirds of the vote to pass, a number considered impossible to obtain in San Diego.

The Chargers spent most of 2015 working with the rival Oakland Raiders on a plan to build a stadium in Carson, a Los Angeles suburb. NFL owners rejected that plan in January, choosing instead a plan that allowed the Rams to move to Los Angeles and build a stadium in Inglewood set to open in 2019.

The league gave the Chargers the right to join the Rams in that stadium. The Chargers have until Jan. 15 to decide on relocation.

Sports on 08/25/2016

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