The San Diego Chargers have officially filed for relocation, and linebacker Manti Te’o is far from thrilled about the possible move.
“Man, it’s going to suck,” he said, according to Bryce Miller of the San Diego Union-Tribune. “I’m not going to lie.”
From where we sit, dismissing that comment is easy. After all, Te’o and his teammates earn millions of dollars for playing a game.
But most — if not all — of us have moved before. Whether that was down the street, to college, a first job or wherever for whatever reason, that probably wasn’t an easy transition. Te’o isn’t looking forward to leaving home.
“It’s a place that you’ve grown to love, that you’re comfortable with. You have your favorite restaurants you go to, your favorite hangout spots … you’re comfortable here. Change is always hard.”
Too often we look at athletes as commodities, forgetting or flat-out ignoring the human element. Many of us face financial struggles that athletes theoretically will avoid, so those million-dollar contracts should eliminate every problem they ever encounter.
Well, that’s wrong.
Te’o and the rest of the Chargers have to find a new favorite pizza place, a new mechanic, a new bar or whatever interests them.
Dismiss that if you’d like, but families are affected, too. It’s foolish to suggest someone like Philip Rivers, his wife and their eight kids can seamlessly adapt to moving from San Diego to the Los Angeles area.
Familiarity is important to NFL players — even if their bank accounts are a little larger.