Statement from A.J. Smith,
General Manager, San Diego Chargers

“It’s disappointing to hear about the issue involving Kevin Ellison. We’ll continue to monitor the situation and let the legal process run its course.”

A native of Iowa City, Jauch was a defensive back at the University of North Carolina, parlaying his collegiate career into a four-year stint in the Canadian Football League that included stops in Calgary (1989), Edmonton (1990) and Hamilton (1991-92).

Jauch’s father, Ray, is a former CFL head coach, spending 14 seasons with Edmonton and Winnipeg. He also coached the Washington Federals of the USFL.

Jauch and his wife Shaunea have a daughter, Sienna, and currently reside in Cleveland.

The San Pasqual Academy Foundation will receive a $200,000 grant from the San Diego Chargers as part of the National Football League Grassroots Program, it was announced today.

The grant, awarded by the Chargers, the NFL Youth Football Fund and Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC), is part of $2.5 million in field refurbishment awards allocated this year. It will be used to install a new synthetic turf field at San Pasqual Academy, a residential school for foster teens. The new field, which will be regulation size, will be available to all athletic programs at the Academy as well as the local Pop Warner football league and the neighboring public schools.

The NFL Grassroots Program, a partnership between the NFL Youth Football Fund and LISC, the nation’s leading community development support corporation, has resulted in the construction or renovation of 225 football fields nationwide in the past 12 years. During that time, the NFL Youth Football Fund has granted more than $28 million to revitalize playing fields in underserved neighborhoods. Fields are newly built or significantly renovated, with improvements such as irrigation systems, lights, bleachers, scoreboards, goal posts and turf. Grassroots grants are issued once established funding thresholds are reached for each project.

“Unlike most schools, San Pasqual Academy does not have a support base of parents and a local community to help raise funds for its athletic programs,” said A.G. Spanos, Executive Vice President-Executive Officer. “We couldn’t be happier to support this special school and their very deserving kids.”

LISC identifies local, nonprofit, neighborhood-based agencies which have an interest in building or refurbishing football fields in schools and parks in underserved neighborhoods. Through the program, the local agencies are provided with the necessary financing and technical assistance to improve the quality and safety of fields in their neighborhoods. The local agencies oversee the construction, maintenance and programming of the fields.

“Our focus at LISC is on building sustainable communities- good places to live, work, do business and raise families,” said Michael Rubinger, LISC president and CEO. “Developing recreational opportunities is a key part of that, and the NFL has been a committed partner in making it happen.”

About the NFL Youth Football Fund
Established in 1998 by the NFL and the NFL Players Association, the NFL Youth Football Fund seeks to use football as a catalyst to promote positive youth development, support youth and high school football needs nationwide and also ensure the health of grassroots football in future generations. Through the YFF’s youth football initiatives and support programs, youngsters are provided with opportunities to learn the game of football, get physically fit and stay involved in productive after-school activities with adult mentors

About LISC
LISC combines corporate, government and philanthropic resources to help nonprofit community development corporations revitalize distressed neighborhoods. Since 1980, LISC has raised more than $9.7 billion to build or rehab more than 271,000 affordable homes and develop 40 million square feet of retail, community and educational space nationwide. LISC support has leveraged nearly $31.3 billion in total development activity. For more information, visit www.lisc.org.

The Chargers signed rookie free agent linebackers Boris Lee and Mike Nixon to two-year contracts.

Lee, 6-0, 245, from Troy University is a three-time first-team All-Sun Belt League pick. He finished his career with 395 tackles, including a team-leading 126 as a junior in 2008 and a career-high 127 as a senior in ’09. He also tallied 29.5 tackles for loss, 9.5 sacks and eight interceptions for the Trojans.

Nixon, 6-3, 225, from Arizona State started his collegiate career late after spending four years (2002-05) as a catcher in the Los Angeles Dodgers’ minor-league system. He enrolled at Arizona State in 2006 and went on to become a two-time honorable mention All-Pac-10 choice who finished his career with 253 tackles, 25 tackles for loss, 5.5 sacks and eight interceptions. Nixon also excelled in the classroom, earning numerous academic awards from the Pac 10 and ESPN The Magazine.

Lee will wear No. 48 and Nixon will wear No. 58 for the Chargers.

San Diego Chargers General Manager A.J. Smith has promoted Travis Lash to Assistant-Player Personnel within the player personnel department. Lash joined the Chargers in 2006 as a scouting intern. Lash’s sports experience also includes two years as a staff assistant in the USD Athletic Department.

Lash works with both the college and pro personnel departments researching and preparing information on players for the college draft and free agency. His scouting responsibilities include the NFL, Canadian Football League, United Football League and the Arena Football League

.Lash is a native of San Diego and attended La Jolla Country Day High School. He graduated from the University of San Diego with a degree in Communication and Business in 2007. He resides in Del Mar.

The San Diego Chargers agreed to contract terms with the following 20 rookie free agents:

• Seyi Ajirotutu (Say-EE Ah-JEER-ah-too-too) WR Fresno State 
• Brady Bond T Oklahoma State 
• Richard Brockel (BRAH-kul)  TE Boise State 
• Dajleon Farr (DAY-lee-on) TE Memphis 
• Richard Goodman WR Florida State 
• Jeff Hansen C-G Montana State 
• Cory Jackson FB Maryland 
• Jordyn Jackson WR Eastern Oregon 
• Justin Jeffries T Kentucky 
• Cort Johnson P West Texas A&M 
• Brandon Lang LB Troy State 
• Shawnbrey McNeal (SHAWN-bray) RB Southern Methodist 
• Ryan Otterson T Wyoming 
• Stephan Richmond T TCU 
• Traye Simmons CB Minnesota 
• Ernest Smith WR Baylor 
• Marcel Thompson WR Lindenwood University, Mo. 
• Bryan Walters WR Cornell 
• Jeremy Williams WR Tulane 
• Kion Wilson (KEY-on) LB South Florida 

Linebacker Antwan Applewhite signed a one-year contract today. As an exclusive rights free agent, Applewhite will earn $470,000 for the 2010 season. 

Applewhite played in just one game in 2009, injuring his hamstring early in the season-opener at Oakland. He was deactivated for the next four games and placed on “Reserve-Injured” Oct. 20.

Applewhite’s signing leaves the Chargers with five unsigned restricted free agents. They include WR Vincent Jackson, WR Malcom Floyd, T Marcus McNeill, LB Shawne Merriman and DE Travis Johnson. Even though Merriman and Johnson have not signed, both are participating in the team’s offseason strength and conditioning program.

The Chargers will be featured in five nationally-televised prime-time contests, beginning with the season opener against the division-rival Chiefs in Kansas City. The Chargers and Chiefs will battle in the second game of the Kickoff Weekend Monday night doubleheader on ESPN. The game kicks off at 7:15 pm PT.

The schedule presents many challenges for San Diego, including opening in Kansas City at night in front of its notoriously hostile crowd, the first of four road games in the first six weeks. To finish the season, the Chargers will find themselves on the road for the final two contests, playing back-to-back cold-weather games in Cincinnati and Denver. The game in Cincinnati is another nationally-televised Sunday night game.

Head Coach Norv Turner likes the schedule, and thinks Charger fans will also.

“It’s a tough schedule, no doubt, but it’s also a great schedule for our fans,” said Turner. “We’ll need to come out of the gates strong, playing four of our first six games on the road. But most important, we’ll have to finish strong and be playing our best football when it matters most, in December and January.”

San Diego’s bye weekend comes in Week 10 (Nov. 14). Following the bye, four of the Chargers’ final seven games are on national television. Head Coach Norv Turner’s 13-0 record in December and 4-3 record in January (including playoffs) could have had something to do with that.

Following the season opener in Kansas City, the Jacksonville Jaguars will be the Chargers’ opponent for their home opener on Sunday, Sept. 19. San Diego’s ticket holders will then see the Arizona Cardinals in Week 4 (Oct. 3), then back-to-back battles in Weeks 7-8 against New England (Oct. 24) and Tennessee (Oct. 31; Halloween).

The Chargers have back-to-back nationally-televised games following their bye, beginning with a Week 11 game versus the Denver Broncos on Monday night, Nov. 22. Then in Week 12 they travel to Indianapolis for a big NBC Sunday night contest on Nov. 28. Three consecutive home games Weeks 13-15 versus Oakland (Dec. 5), Kansas City (Dec. 12) and a Thursday night NFL Network game against San Francisco (Dec. 16) finish the regular-season home schedule before San Diego plays its final two games on the road.

Notes: The Chargers’ have opened the season with a nationally-televised night game four times, including 1981, ‘94, ‘06 and ’09, and are 4-0 in those games.

Tickets for both preseason home games go on sale Friday at 10:00 am PT by logging onto www.Chargers.com, calling 1-800-745-3000 or at the Chargers Ticket Office located at Gate C at Qualcomm Stadium. Chargers season tickets for the 2010 season also are on sale. They can be purchased by calling 877-CHARGERS, visiting www.chargers.com or stopping by the Chargers’ ticket office, open Monday through Friday from 8-5 pm.

http://www.chargers.com/schedule/2010-season-schedule.html