O’Neal Refuses to Back Down From Remarks : Chargers: The apparent focus of his comments, Billy Ray Smith, says football players should stick to playing football.

Linebacker Leslie O’Neal said damage control efforts by Charger coaches and players after his controversial remarks in The Times have only re-enforced what he said.

Coach Dan Henning warned O’Neal and other players in a team meeting Wednesday that further divisive comments might warrant suspension for conduct detrimental to the team.

On Thursday, however, O’Neal stood by his contention that certain players are afforded preferential treatment by the club and some favoritism might be racially motivated. Players have agreed that O’Neal appeared to direct his remarks about club bias toward linebacker Billy Ray Smith.

“The funny thing about it, the statement was made and everybody drew their own conclusions about who it was said about,” O’Neal said. “Obviously, I wasn’t the only one thinking the way I was thinking. So that’s something everybody can think about. Maybe I just raised a question that people thought was taboo to talk about.”

There also have been indications that some players, including O’Neal, believe Henry Rolling should be playing ahead of Smith.

Smith approached O’Neal on Thursday, and the two talked. When asked later if the air had been cleared, Smith said, “I don’t have anything else to say about that. We had a talk and that’s all I’m going to say about it.”

Said O’Neal, “Yeah, we talked a little bit. He had some questions with me, I answered them and that’s that. . . . I think the air is cleared, he told me what he felt, and that’s fine. For me it’s a dead issue.”

Smith, who has been one of the team’s more popular and key performers in the past, appeared confused by the seemingly unprovoked attack.

“I think it would hurt a lot more if it was coming from Bobby (Beathard), or Dan (Henning) or Ron (Lynn),” he said. “You know players play, and personnel people make those decisions. Coaches make decisions on who plays.

“I think when you start to get out of your field and try to make decisions in other areas, you lose focus. If you’re a football player, you play football. If you want to make personnel decisions, then get into that field.”

Smith said of O’Neal’s remarks: “I think they would bother anybody, but I don’t know if it hurt my feelings, because I’ve always respected Leslie as a player, but we’ve never been fast friends by any stretch of imagination.”

Several of Smith’s teammates suggested he was an innocent victim of a jealous teammate. They said Smith never has asked to be interviewed, pushed for attention or been given favorable treatment by the club. They said he has earned his popular standing in the community with consistent effort on behalf of local charities.

“I have no control over the public relations aspect of things,” he said, dismissing suggestions of racial favoritism as “ridiculous.”

After Henning had another short meeting with his team on the field after practice Thursday, O’Neal was surrounded by TV cameras and reporters. O’Neal said he stands by his remarks but said it was not his intention to bring dissension into the locker room.

“I didn’t do it to start anything,” O’Neal said. “Some people got offended. One thing about football--everybody has their egos. Everybody came from a situation where they felt they were the best, and so now you have a collection of the best people. So egos are fragile, and they get hurt.”

Despite being blasted by Henning in front of the team and raising the ire of some of his peers, O’Neal said his ego is just fine.

“Actually I feel good,” he said. “Obviously what I said must have hit home with some people, and that’s all I wanted to do was raise an issue. Now it’s a matter of are we man enough to put this aside and go out and play?”

A pertinent question.

“If it affects the outcome of Sunday’s game, then I’d be really ticked off,” guard David Richards said.

Said safety Vencie Glenn, “I’m like that little monkey: ‘I wouldn’t touch this whole thing with a 100-foot-pole.’ ”

Tackle Broderick Thompson said, “It’s nothing new that goes on year to year. It just happens that this got out. People voice their opinions; they’re entitled to that. His opinion just happened to be publicized. It’s business as usual.”

Linebacker Gary Plummer said this issue can be left behind, because “you have a player like Billy Ray who is mature enough to handle the situation.

“I don’t think it will be a distraction, because Dan addressed it and let it be known what his feelings were. I think it was very important. If you get one person making negative comments it opens the door for everyone else. He just wanted to nip it in the bud, and that’s what he did.”

The outcome of Sunday’s game, however, ultimately could be the final chapter to this story.

“If we go out and blow Denver out Sunday, everybody will forget about it,” O’Neal said. “We go out and lose, and it’s like I started this problem and that caused us to lose. It’s one of those deals you have to live with.”