Chargers GM Ambiguous About Shawne Merriman While Tila Tequila Tweets

As the NFL and celebrity worlds await word from Shawne Merriman battery accuser and MySpace/Playboy/TMZ/Perez Hilton luminary Tila "Tequila" Nguyen, San Diego Chargers general manager A.J. Smith offered more insight Tuesday into whether he is disappointed by the alleged altercation last weekend at the linebacker's home.

Longtime San Diego Union-Tribune beat writer Kevin Acee wrote:

Asked specifically whether Merriman would be here through the 2009 season, Smith neither answered the question nor denied the possibility Merriman wouldn't.

"I've already addressed the Shawne Merriman situation," Smith said. "I'm sure when the legal process runs its course, Shawne will update you. As far as his future with the Chargers, which appears to be an ongoing debate, we will let you know right away if his status should change."

Is Smith implying the "ongoing debate" about Merriman's future is taking place within the walls of the Chargers' headquarters, or around NFL circles and in the media? That's not clear. The ambiguity is interesting, though.

All the while, Nguyen, aka Tequila, promised Monday night through a rapid-fire succession of Twitter updates that "tomorrow [Tuesday] the truth comes."

Tequila also offered ominous previews of allegations she might make against Merriman, her erstwhile boyfriend -- all of which have been since been deleted from her Twitter page. She alluded to Merriman's four-game suspension in 2006 for violating the NFL's steroid's policy -- "Steroid use makes people act aggressive.....known fact," Tequila wrote on her Twitter page.

In response to a club owner's statements that Tequila was intoxicated earlier in the evening when she and Merriman visited his establishment in San Diego's popular Gaslamp district, Tequila tweeted that she is allergic to alcohol and discussed that on a 2007 episode of the "Tyra Banks" show.

Sheriff's deputies were summoned to Merriman's home at 3:45 a.m. Sunday in response to a 911 call placed by Tequila. She told deputies that Merriman choked her, threw her to the ground and physically restrained her from leaving his home.

Merriman has explained he was trying to prevent intoxicated Tequila from driving and claims to have almost a dozen witnesses to back his story.

"I was trying to help her, not hurt her," Merriman told the Union-Tribune. "I'm still glad that I did."

Merriman has been charged with battery and false imprisonment, but has yet to be formally charged by the District Attorney's office.

As Acee points out, Merriman's contract expires at the end of the 2009 season and this incident, regardless of the legal outcome, won't help the pass-rushing linebacker's chances of remaining with the Chargers. Smith places an emphasis on high-character players and has been quick to sever ties with high-profile players, even highly paid ones still under contract, who run afoul of the law.