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Chargers LB Steve Foley Out for Season after Police Shooting

Chargers LB Steve Foley’s week got worse yesterday, being essentially suspended without pay for the 2006 season after having been shot by an off-duty cop.

The Chargers officially ended the season for starting outside linebacker Steve Foley by placing him on the non-football injury list Monday, a day after he was shot near his San Diego home by an off-duty police officer. By going on the non-football injury list, Foley will not be able to collect his $1.65 million salary this season, which consists of a $775,000 base and an $875,000 roster bonus. Players placed on the non-football injury list usually don’t collect their salary because the injury isn’t related to the football field.

This was a particularly tough decision for Chargers general manager A.J. Smith, who signed Foley in 2004 in what was the start of building one of the NFL’s top and most feared 3-4 defenses. Foley, who turns 31 next Monday, has 29 starts as a Charger and is considered one of the leaders on the team.

Smith issued a brief statement Monday afternoon saying, “Steve’s health needs to be his number one priority. Football is secondary now. Steve needs to focus on his recovery.”

The Chargers general manager has been gathering medical information for the past 24 hours to determine Foley’s status for the season. Though the injuries weren’t considered life threatening, Smith had to determine Foley’s ability to play this season. He decided Monday afternoon that the season was over for a Chargers linebacker who had 14 sacks over the past two seasons.

[...]

For the Chargers, the loss of Foley for the year is a major setback, but the team will have to rely on a deep corps of linebackers to get through the season without him.

“Steve is an intregal part of our defense, and of course it hurts,” Smith said. “But you don’t moan and grown and complain about it. This is a tough world we live in and sometimes life delivers a blow and knocks you down. So what are you going to do about it. You get up and regroup and get after it again. And that’s what we will do.”

The Chargers will probably give Shaun Phillips the starting job on the other side of Shawne Merriman because of Foley’s season-ending injury.

“To be honest right now,” Smith said, “At this moment, all I care about is Steve Foley’s well-being.”

Incredible. You’d think a man making $1.65 million a year could figure out how to get home without provoking a police officer to shoot him multiple times.

 
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I do not agree with beck hyze on one point, I refuse to use the title “Mr.” to refer to Aaron Mansker. Perhaps “monster”. For this is another example of a monster cloaked in a law enforcement uniform maiming, brutalizing otherwise attempting to kill an African-American. Off-duty, out of jurisdiction, in an unmarked vehicle, probably vague if any provision of identification, MR. Foley in front of MR. Foley’s home – ah – call for backup, wait for backup. But no, “Monster” Mansker decides I’ll just shoot this black guy, so-what, twice we now learn in the BACK of the thigh. Hmmm, how was that? “Monster” Mansker felt “trapped” by a person with their back to him? Sounds like the black young man back in New York years back that was shot 48 times by a group of NYC monsters claiming his cell phone was a gun. Turns out he was going home to mom after an honest day’s work. Cops acquitted. Oh, the cops were caucasian.

Posted by Josh Lamp | September 12, 2006 | 04:28 am | Permalink
 

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