Chargers merry men with their star there

By: JAY PARIS - Staff Writer | Wednesday, October 25, 2006 10:38 PM PDT ∞

SAN DIEGO -- Philip Rivers was wearing a spiffy Maryland T-shirt on Wednesday, but it wasn't to show support for embattled teammate Shawne Merriman.

Instead, Rivers lost a bet.

His former North Carolina State team fell to Maryland, Merriman's old squad. The wager was the loser had to wear the other school's gear.

Too bad Rivers lost.

"I had the shortest pair of N.C. State gym shorts you can imagine,'' Rivers said.

Despite Merriman staring at a four-game suspension for a positive drug test, the atmosphere was loose at Chargers Park.

The locker-room banter was in full force. Merriman wore the biggest smile, when snapping a picture of the Rivers' wardrobe on his cell phone.

"I got it,'' Merriman said, jogging away with a laugh.

It appears the Chargers have Merriman for the next two games, their home dates with the St. Louis Rams and Cleveland Browns.

"From what I understand, he will be here for two weeks,'' general manager A.J. Smith said.

It's been speculated his appeal will be heard in New York on Nov. 7.

"I want to say it's the exact date, but I don't know for sure yet,'' Merriman said. ''Nothing's been set yet, as far as I know.''

Merriman is appealing his failed drug test, which he said was for nandrolone, a type of steroid which is banned by the NFL. Merriman's defense is that the supplement's manufacturer provided a tainted product.

"I'm still finding out information about it myself,'' said Merriman, last season's NFL's rookie defensive player of the year. "Whatever it was, it definitely wasn't intentional at all.''

Merriman has said his mea culpa to the Chargers for the headaches his controversy is causing the players preparing for Sunday's game.

"I spoke to my teammates and I apologized to my teammates for being a distraction,'' Merriman said. "But other than that, I'm doing something I love to do every day. As long as I'm on this field, as long as I'm on the grass, it's going to help me out to just play.''

Rivers was upbeat Merriman was taking part in drills.

"We're thrilled,'' Rivers said, tugging at his new shirt. "He's a big part of what we do on defense and he is an emotional leader on the team.''

Merriman supplies more than positive vibes. His 5.5 sacks rank fifth in the NFL. He also has 28 tackles, an interception and nine quarterback hits.

But Merriman's path to his second straight Pro Bowl has taken a direct blow.

"Regardless of what happens, I've said from day one that I don't think I did anything wrong,'' Merriman said. "But at the same time, if they found that I did something wrong, I'll take full responsibility for it.

"I'm not running from anything. Hopefully, whatever happens, I just hope it happens for the best.''

What's best for the Chargers is having Merriman in uniform.

"Having him out there is huge,'' Rivers said. "This is a big game.''

CHARGERS NOTES: -- The team must peddle about 1,000 tickets by 1 p.m. today to lift the local TV blackout for Sunday's game. Ö RG Mike Goff (hand) didn't practice Wednesday after having an operation on Monday. Goff, though, is expected to start on Sunday. Ö Others not working were DE Igor Olshansky (knee) and LB Shaun Phillips (calf). Neither will play Sunday, although Phillips hasn't ruled it out. He's supposed to be down two to four weeks. "I don't know where he got his medical degree,'' coach Marty Schottenheimer said. Ö LT Roman Oben (foot) returned to practice after starting the season on the physically unable to perform list. He hopes to return to the active roster by the Bengals game on Nov. 12. Ö General manager A.J. Smith hasn't made a decision regarding LB Steve Foley's $875,000 roster bonus. After Foley was shot before the season by an off-duty policeman, the team declined to pay his $775,000 base salary when putting him on the non-football, injury list. "We are monitoring the situation,'' Smith said. ... Rams LB Pisa Tinoisamoa, a Vista High product, broke a bone in his left hand

during practice; he has been playing with a dislocated left elbow. He's listed as probable for Sunday's game. Ö QB Charlie Whitehurst is among the 30 players included in the Carlsbad-based Upper Deck's 2006 rookie set.

-- Contact staff writer Jay Paris at jparis8@aol.com. Comment at sports.nctimes.com. Staff writer Michael Klitzing contributed to this report.