Unrein Returns to Chargers Early
After spending 24 days in a symbolic huddle, the regular 45 Chargers will not finish the strike united.
Nose tackle Terry Unrein reported to work Friday. He is the first Charger from the active list to join the replacement squad, and he will be eligible for Sunday’s game against the Raiders.
His NFL Players Assn. teammates, meanwhile, voted to return to work Monday at 3 p.m. According to an NFL Management Council directive, that is the first day they will allowed to work for a regular paycheck and be eligible to play.
“From what I hear, it is Monday,” said Wes Chandler, Charger player representative, who led a practice of union players Friday morning and did not show up for a scheduled 3 p.m. meeting with Coach Al Saunders.
“I would prefer that they had come in today (Friday),” said Steve Ortmayer, Charger director of football operations. “I heard other teams are practicing. I heard the (Houston) Oilers were already practicing in the Astrodome Thursday night at 11. I wish my players were here.”
According to Ortmayer, Unrein is eligible to play Sunday and will be paid a normal week’s salary for it, because he phoned the Chargers office before Wednesday’s 10 a.m. deadline and informed them he was returning.
Unrein’s name was placed on a list of eligible players along with two other regular Chargers who also phoned the office: kicker Vince Abbott and nose tackle Mike Charles.
Abbott and Charles have decided to forfeit this week’s pay and remain out with the regular team. Unrein agonized over his decision for two days before he drove to San Diego Jack Murphy Stadium early Friday and dressed for practice.
Unrein said he did not return for money. In fact, because of a deferred-monies provision in his contract, he won’t be getting this week’s paycheck until January.
“It’s simple: I missed the football,” Unrein said. “Financially, it hasn’t been tough. I don’t own a home . . . We’re thinking about giving this week’s pay to charity.”
Rest assured, Unrein’s next couple of weeks will be long. Once the rest of the regular Chargers report Monday, he expects the worst.
“I imagine guys will be peeved, I’m sure guys will call me scabs,” he said. “But I hung with them. I missed three paychecks. After missing one check, I knew what we were doing wasn’t going to work. If I didn’t care about them, I would have been in after that second week.”
