The Chargers have parted ways with equipment manager Bob Wick this week after 38 years with the organization, including a personal move last month to follow the team from San Diego to Los Angeles. The Chargers did not give a reason for the firing to several local reporters.
Wick left his native San Diego to move to the Los Angeles area in mid-July, in order to be ready for training camp to begin later in the month. He worked training camp for the team, and news of his firing broke today, one day after camp ended.
He began with the team as a ball boy and equipment assistant in 1979 and worked his way up to the role of equipment manager in 2000. He was named NFL equipment manager of the year in 2009.
The move surprised several local media members who work closely with the team, and Wick was described as having been “universally liked and respected by Chargers players and coaches” by NBC San Diego. Several former players expressed their disappointment, including Mike Goff, who played for the Chargers from 2004 to 2008; Randy McMichael, who was with the team from 2010 to 2012; Jacob Hester, with them from 2008 to 2011; Eric Weddle, with them from 2007 to 2015; and Antonio Cromartie, with them from 2006 to 2009.
h/t to Joe