San Diego Chargers officials held a news conference Monday, and while they talked about hiring a new coach, they did not reveal whether the team would be moving to Los Angeles or staying in America's Finest City.
John Spanos, head of football operations, was asked what the candidates for the head coaching job would be told regarding where the team will be playing next season.
"Well, what we know right now it's one of two locations and it's, you know, an announcement that I don't know when it's going to come but I hope it's coming soon, so hopefully that resolves itself soon," Spanos said.
"As far as when the announcement is made is out of my control. It's not something I work day-to-day on."
Spanos then tried to steer the focus of the news conference toward the search for a new coach, but reporters continued to ask about the relocation decision.
"I certainly appreciate and understand everyone wanting to know, so, I mean, I get where you're coming from, but it's nothing that I can control," Spanos said. "I understand the fans want to know that, I want to know that too and, again, I think it's something we will know soon."
The Chargers fired head coach Mike McCoy on Sunday, less than two hours after the team finished its National Football League season with a 37-27 home loss to the Kansas City Chiefs.
McCoy finished 28-38 in four seasons as San Diego's head coach. The Chargers finished 5-11 this season, following a 4-12 mark last year. Their only playoff appearance under McCoy's leadership came his first season, when the team went 1-1 in the postseason.
"Mike McCoy is a man of high character, and we thank him for his dedication to the Chargers,'' Spanos said in a statement. "The decision to dismiss Mike was made in the best interests of our franchise. Our team's disappointing performance has not matched this team's potential and has fallen short of the demanding standards that we seek to impose throughout our organization. Our comprehensive search for a new head coach begins immediately.''
General Manager Tom Telesco said the new Chargers head coach should be a teacher, a good communicator, a motivator and a leader.
The Chargers players held team meetings earlier in the day then cleaned out their lockers at Chargers Park in Murphy Canyon.
This is the second consecutive year in which the Chargers will enter the offseason uncertain about their future. At this point last season, team officials were considering a move to Los Angeles, where they would have built a stadium in suburban Carson in conjunction with the Oakland Raiders. That plan was ultimately shot down by other NFL owners. The 2015 home finale was something of a love fest, with emotional players and fans mingling along the sideline after the game.
A different feeling was in the air this year, with an estimated 54,000 fans watching the Chargers close out another fruitless campaign and recent news on the stadium front resulting in yet more mixed signals.
After voters in November rejected Measure C, the Chargers' plan for a hotel room tax hike to partially fund a downtown stadium project, team chairman Dean Spanos told fans he would wait until after the end of the season to make decisions on his franchise's future.
On the one hand, the Chargers have agreed to lease office space and an open field in Orange County to use as a headquarters and practice facility should the team move.
On the other, a recent meeting that included Spanos, San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer, county Supervisor Ron Roberts and San Diego State University President Elliot Hirshman was described as being productive. SDSU was involved in the meeting because it has long eyed the Qualcomm site for expansion.
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When his fellow owners killed off the Carson plan, they gave Spanos a one-year option to become the second team in Los Angeles along with the Rams. That window closes Jan. 15.
