Tomlinson, Bush get glimpse of Wembley

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Thursday, Jun 19, 2008
By Casey Pearce, Chargers.com

LaDainian Tomlinson arrived in London on Tuesday morning, June 17 for a busy two-day promotional trip for the Chargers’ game against the New Orleans Saints on Oct. 26 at Wembley Stadium. He was joined in London by Saints running back and San Diego hometown product Reggie Bush.

Both Tomlinson and Bush spent two long days meeting with members of the British media, answering every question imaginable. From the BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation) to the London Times; from CNN to MTV, the interest in the second-ever regular-season NFL game played in the United Kingdom was high, even four months ahead of the game.

“The questions that we were asked during that session were interesting and it was good to get a sense of the interest that there is in the NFL in the UK,” Tomlinson said.

Following a long first day of interviews and appearances, the two players got a little distraction of their own when they were VIPs at the World Premiere of Will Smith’s new movie Hancock, due out in July.

Tomlinson and Bush, who was accompanied by Kim Kardashian, walked the red carpet before the show and mingled with the film’s stars, including Smith, Charlize Theron and Jason Bateman. LT and Smith are friends and chatted for several minutes.

The two players also spent a morning at the new Wembley Stadium where he and Bush again met with the media and took part in a promotional photo shoot. Tomlinson was very impressed with the 90,000-seat venue.

“It’s awesome,” Tomlinson said. “There isn’t a bad seat in the house and the field looks great. The grass is great. It looks like a lot of fields back in the States that we play on. The grass is a little thicker than in San Diego. It’s kind of like some of the fields in the Midwest that we play on. It should be a great track to play on.”

The trip marked Tomlinson’s first visit to London, and he believes the experience will help him when the Chargers arrive in October for the contest.

“It is useful for me to be here and begin visualizing what it will be like playing here, because that is an important part of my preparation for any game,” Tomlinson said.

Throughout his brief visit, Tomlinson spoke enthusiastically about the opportunity the Chargers have to play internationally. The Chargers will play in Buffalo on Oct. 19 and travel to London shortly after completion of their game at Ralph Wilson Stadium. The Bolts will then enjoy their bye the week after their trip to London.

While the trip will be a new and unique experience, Tomlinson believes it should be a smooth operation for him and his teammates.

“It won’t be a distraction at all,” Tomlinson said. “It’s really a great opportunity and a great experience. All eyes are on you. We play football. That’s what we do. I adjusted really quickly (to the time change). It will be great coming over here for the week.”

LT also pointed out that both the Super Bowl XLII Champion New York Giants and newly-crowned NBA Champion Boston Celtics played in London during their championship seasons.

“Hopefully we can keep that tradition going,” Tomlinson said. “The Giants were the visiting team (like the Chargers) last year. If we can make it two for two, teams will be begging to come here and play.”

Bill Johnston and Henry Hodgson contributed to this report.

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