Charger Notebook : Benson Can’t Pass His Physical

Linebacker Thomas Benson missed all of last year’s Charger training camp in a bitter contract dispute. He says the time out of camp hurt his performance in 1987.

He had hoped to avoid a repeat of those circumstances by ending a one-day holdout Saturday and signing a two-year deal with the Chargers.

But Sunday he received a different kind of setback when a strained ligament in his left shoulder caused him to fail the team’s physical.

Benson said he hurt his shoulder during the minicamp in May.

“It’s been healing, but it’s not healed completely,” he said. “I probably have 70% strength in it. I’m ready to go, I’m in shape and in condition. It’s just that it’s not strong enough for me to go out there and maybe take contact.”

Benson said he was surprised that he failed the physical. He hopes to be ready in a few days.

Steve Ortmayer, the team’s director of football operations, also was surprised by Benson’s status.

“He had not indicated to our medical people prior to this that he had a lingering problem that wasn’t going to allow him to start today,” Ortmayer said.

Benson, 6 feet 2 inches and 245 pounds, is in his fifth year out of Oklahoma. He was traded to the Chargers from Atlanta in 1986. In 16 games as a starter that season, he made 90 tackles.

Last year, after missing camp, he was not on the roster until the second game. He started 8 of 11 games and had 38 tackles.

Charger Notes

Coach Al Saunders announced Sunday that offensive lineman Sam Claphan has been waived. “Sam . . . felt as though it would be very difficult for him to make the football team here and asked if he could have an opportunity to go somewhere else,” Saunders said. Claphan, 6-6 1/2 and 288 pounds, came to the Chargers as a free agent in 1981. He started at left guard the past two years.

Running back Tim Spencer suffered a slight sprain in his left ankle in the afternoon practice. . . . Tackle Jim Lachey and defensive back Elvis Patterson remain out of camp, Lachey for business reasons and Patterson because of a death in his family. . . . Saunders said he was disappointed in newly signed cornerback Brandy Wells. “He’s not in very good shape,” Saunders said. “He’s got to get to a level of conditioning before he shows us what he can do as a player.” Wells, 5-11 and 191 pounds, is from Notre Dame. He was drafted and released this year by Cincinnati, and signed last week with San Diego.