LaDainian Tomlinson Comments on Raiders Potentially Moving to San Diego

As the Oakland Raiders search for a new home, the city of San Diego—which lost the Chargers to Los Angeles in January—has been brought into the conversation, much to the dismay of Chargers legend LaDainian Tomlinson.

After Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune revealed Tuesday that San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer contacted the NFL about potentially bringing the Raiders in if their Las Vegas move doesn't work out, Tomlinson voiced his displeasure Thursday:

It looked as though a move to Las Vegas was all but certain after the Raiders filed for relocation Jan. 19.

But within a two-day stretch from Monday to Tuesday, "casino magnate" Sheldon Adelson and Goldman Sachs both backed out from contributing to the move, per Des Bieler of the Washington Post.

If the move falls through and San Diego were to get the Raiders, it would be difficult to drum up much of a fanbase. The Chargers and Raiders have been divisional rivals since they first squared off as AFL members in 1960.

Since then, the two teams have played 114 times in the regular season, with the Raiders holding a 62-50-2 advantage. Naturally, a rivalry blossomed between teams that were geographically close to each other and played each other often.

Tomlinson was a part of it for nine years with the Chargers as he became the franchise's all-time leader in rushing yards with 12,490 along with 138 rushing touchdowns.

He gained 2,055 of them along with 26 touchdowns in 19 games against the Raiders, compiling a 14-5 record.

It would be difficult for San Diego football fans who rooted for the Chargers for 55 years to suddenly change allegiances and support the Raiders, which could negatively impact attendance numbers.

There's a chance that plenty of Chargers fans, including Tomlinson, will follow the team to Los Angeles as it joins the Rams in Southern California.

In a league built on ticket sales and television ratings, that's something the Raiders would have to consider if San Diego becomes a legitimate option.

Stats courtesy of Pro-Football-Reference.com.