The greatest revenge is success. In that vein, the Eric Weddle got his. The former All Pro safety spent the first nine years of his NFL career in San Diego with the Chargers only to see them get really petty and successfully run him out of town when he was coming up on free agency.
Well, first they fined him for staying on the field at half time to watch his daughter perform in the half time show. The Chargers held a 23-0 lead over the Dolphins at the half and they ended up cruising to a 34-14 victory. But that didn’t matter to the Chargers. They had a rigid team policy to follow (or so they are saying to justify their actions) and fined Weddle $10,000.
The following week the Chargers faced the Raiders and Weddle left in the first half with an injury. And despite having just one game left in a 4-win season, the Chargers placed him on injured reserve and didn’t let him travel with the team to Denver. Making that game he left in Oakland his last time on a stadium field or locker room as a Charger.
As it happens, that game was also the final game of another great safety. It was the farewell home game for future Hall of Famer Charles Woodson. Though, that end was far more joyous and ceremonious. As after the game, he threw up the ‘O” and did a lap around the coliseum to greet the same fans who had come out in force to welcome him back to the Raiders three years earlier.
The Raiders would be in the market for a safety and it was a utter certainty that Weddle would be leaving the Chargers after being treated as he was. So, there was a lot of buzz about the 30-year-old Weddle potentially stepping in to fill the safety spot in Oakland.
He spoke with Peter King of Sports Illustrated and even mentioned the Raiders on a short list of teams with whom he would consider signing. After all, the Raiders were considered on the rise at the time, so when “contenders” came up, they were among them.
Ultimately he would join the Ravens who saw him as the closest thing to Ed Reed in the league. And Weddle proved them right. He spent three years in Baltimore and made the Pro Bowl every single season while not missing a game.
Last season the Alta Loma California native would return to Cali to spent what would be his final season in the NFL with the LA franchise, not named the Chargers. Today he officially hung up his cleats. And despite his treatment from the Chargers, he still took the high road and included them in his farewell announcement.
It's been REAL @NFL @Chargers @Ravens @RamsNFL! TEAMMATES, COACHES and others I LOVE y'all. We had a GREAT RUN!!!!! ✌✌#BEARDOUT 🎤 pic.twitter.com/C3VGwnMCc7
— Eric Weddle (@weddlesbeard) February 6, 2020
Congrats on a great and potentially Hall of Fame worthy career, Eric.
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