Charger LB drops appeal

SAN DIEGO — The San Diego Chargers must play their next four games without outside linebacker Shawne Merriman, one of the NFL's top young stars, who decided Tuesday not to appeal his suspension for testing positive for steroids.

Merriman's suspension is another blow to one of the NFL's toughest defenses, which has been hit by injuries and off-field trouble since before the season started. Nicknamed "Lights Out" because of his punishing hits, he'll be shut down for games at home against Cleveland, at Cincinnati, at Denver and at home against the Oakland Raiders.

Merriman, who's tied for the NFL lead with 8 1/2 sacks, and his attorney have blamed a tainted supplement for the player's positive test for the steroid nandrolone. Merriman couldn't be reached for comment.

The suspension won't officially begin until after Merriman addresses his teammates on Wednesday. After that, he'll be barred from the team's headquarters until he's eligible to return on Nov. 27.

The Chargers, who were off Tuesday, vowed to press on without Merriman, a Pro Bowl starter who was voted the 2005 NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year.

"He's upset because he let his team down, but we're OK," outside linebacker Shaun Phillips said in a phone interview. "We're behind him 100 percent. We know he's not that kind of guy, that he wouldn't do anything to boost his performance.

"We're a good team. We'll get over it," said Phillips, who moved into the starting lineup after Steve Foley was shot by an off-duty police officer on Sept. 3. Phillips missed Sunday's 38-24 win over the St. Louis Rams with a calf injury and has only a 50 percent chance of playing against the Browns.

Had Merriman gone through with the appeal and lost, there was the chance he'd miss both games against Denver. The Chargers host the Broncos on Dec. 10. Few people expected Merriman to win on appeal because the NFL holds players accountable for knowing the contents of the supplements they take.

Word of Merriman's positive test leaked on Oct. 22. Merriman announced last Tuesday he was appealing, and matched his career-high with three sacks against the Rams. He celebrated each as he usually does, by pretending to flip a switch tattooed on his forearm followed by a spasmodic dance.

Carlos Polk is expected to start in Merriman's place.