The Pro Bowl might not be that important to many players, as witnessed by the numbers of guy who pull out each year.
But for Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers, accepting the invitation meant something to him because it provides a bit of closure to a chapter of his life.
Rivers told Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune that because of the way his team left things undecided until the regular season ended, this game will actually mean something to him.
“It occurred to me,” Rivers said, “that this truly will be my last time on the field as a San Diego Charger.”
Rivers initially declined, but as AFC quarterbacks got scarce, he reconsidered. It didn’t hurt that the NFL arranged for him to fly in on Wednesday, return home to take four of his girls to a father-daughter dance Friday and then come back to Orlando Saturday to play in Sunday’s all-star game.
So that made it easier to decide to go and hang out with old friends and teammates such as Eric Weddle. And to say goodbye to the city he’s called home for 13 years.
“I made this team as a San Diego Charger,” Rivers said. “That’s cool. . . .
“We walked off the field after that Kansas City game and we thought it might be the end, but we didn’t know. This will be the last game I play as a San Diego Charger.”
Of course, they’ll introduce him as a Los Angeles Charger, and that’s how he’ll identify himself from now on, as a face of a franchise that needs all it can to create traction in L.A. But it’s a nice note for the fans of San Diego, to know they left as much of an imprint on Rivers as he did on them.