PRO FOOTBALL REPORT : WEEKDAY UPDATE : CHARGERS : Phillips to Discuss Future

Nose tackle Joe Phillips will hold a news conference today at his agent’s office in La Jolla to discuss his future with the Chargers.

Phillips, on injured reserve since late September after he was assaulted in Mission Beach, has been medically cleared to return to practice but hasn’t because of a salary dispute.

Charger General Manager Bobby Beathard said Monday the Chargers intend to pay Phillips 50% of this year’s salary. Beathard said the Chargers wanted Phillips to practice during the bye week to determine if he could handle normal contact. According to Beathard, Phillips said he wouldn’t return to practice unless he was granted full payment on his contract.

The salary dispute is apparently only part of the holdup. Beathard said the Chargers asked Phillips to sign a waver relieving the team of responsibility in the event Phillips was re-injured on the football field. Beathard also said the Chargers wanted Phillips to sign a new contract before his current one expires Feb. 1.

Linebacker Billy Ray Smith reinjured his elbow in Sunday’s loss to the Broncos but said he expects to be ready for this week’s game against Kansas City.

Linebacker Richard Brown (hamstring) is eligible to come off injured reserve this week and Coach Dan Henning said he may be activated.

Asked if the Chargers would consider activating rookie quarterback John Friesz, Henning said: “The only reason that we would consider that is if we we were going to start him and we’re not going to do that right now.”

That doesn’t mean Friesz won’t give Billy Joe Tolliver a run for the starting job in the future. Henning said the quarterback situation would be evaluated during the off-season.

Henning said it would be nice to see what Friesz could do but that activating him for the remainder of this season might do him and the team more harm than good because of his limited experience.

After reviewing game films, Henning didn’t agree with the call that ruled tight end Derrick Walker had fumbled on the Broncos’ one-yard line in the first quarter Sunday.

“My impression is that he was down,” Henning said. “The ball should have been blown dead on the one-yard line.”

The Chargers have distributed about 43,000 tickets for the last home game Sunday against the Kansas City Chiefs, said Jack Teele, assistant to the president. Teele expects a crowd of about 47,000 by kickoff.