Nick Hardwick retired after a long run as the starting center for the Chargers and he didn’t have to go too far to find his first post-playing job.
The Chargers announced Thursday that Hardwick will be the sideline reporter on the team’s radio broadcasts during the 2015 season. He joins new color commentator Curtis Conway as former Chargers who will work with Josh Lewin on the broadcasting team this year.
Hardwick, who has dropped 85 pounds since he last took the field for the Chargers, said he’s “incredibly excited” to remain around the team in his new role.
“I plan to bring the same intensity, the same passion, the same enthusiasm to the sidelines,” Hardwick said, via the team’s website. “I just don’t have to get hurt anymore.”
Hardwick made 136 starts for the Chargers over the course of his career and played a lot of those games with current members of the team. Unlike some other players turned broadcasters, his job shouldn’t call for much criticism of those former teammates and that should allow him to avoid any awkward moments on the sideline.