EL SEGUNDO, Calif. (AP) — Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert will miss at least two weeks because of an injury to the plantar fascia in his right foot.
The injury was diagnosed following practice Wednesday. Doctors expect that the fifth-year quarterback will be ready for the regular-season opener Sept. 8 against the Las Vegas Raiders.
Coach Jim Harbaugh said after practice Thursday night that he didn't know when the injury might have occurred. He did say that Herbert was still attending meetings and doing some conditioning work.
Herbert will spend two weeks in a walking boot followed by what the Chargers termed “a graduated return to play protocol.”
It is the first significant injury during Harbaugh's first training camp as Chargers coach. Harbaugh has made it a priority to slowly ramp up the intensity of practices in order to prevent soft tissue injuries.
However, it is another in a series of injuries for Herbert. In the past two seasons, Herbert has had bruised ribs, a torn labrum to his non-throwing shoulder and two broken fingers, including one on his throwing hand that caused him to miss the final four games last season.
Herbert had received plenty of praise from Harbaugh and offensive coordinator Greg Roman during offseason workouts and training camp for his quickness in picking up the offense.
“The preparation continues. Full speed ahead," said Harbaugh when asked if Herbert's injury will impact their preseason plans.
Easton Stick, who started four games last season, will get most of the snaps with the first team. Los Angeles also has Max Duggan and undrafted rookie Casey Bauman on the roster.
“He was the same that he was the day before. He attacks everything he does. The way he goes about his business is top notch,” Harbaugh said about Stick.
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Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert (10) fields questions during NFL football training camp Wednesday, July 24, 2024, in El Segundo, Calif. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)
Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert, right, hands off to running back J.K. Dobbins during NFL football training camp Monday, July 29, 2024, in El Segundo, Calif. (AP Photo/Ryan Sun)
Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert warms up during NFL football training camp Friday, July 26, 2024, in El Segundo, Calif. (AP Photo/John McCoy)
NEW YORK (AP) — Two former New York City Fire Department chiefs were arrested Monday on charges that they solicited tens of thousands of dollars in bribes to guarantee that the department's fire-safety division gave preferential treatment to some individuals and companies.
Anthony Saccavino, 59, of Manhattan and Brian Cordasco, 49, of Staten Island were arrested on bribery, corruption and false statements charges alleging that they solicited and accepted the bribe payments from at least 2021 through 2023.
They each were freed on $250,000 bail after entering not guilty pleas before a federal judge. Outside the courthouse, neither commented.
The arrests came as multiple ongoing federal investigations swirl around Mayor Eric Adams and his top deputies, including one inquiry that appears at least partly focused on whether the administration sped up fire safety inspections at the Turkish consulate in exchange for illegal contributions.
Manhattan-based U.S. Attorney Damian Williams declined to say whether the case against the former fire chiefs was related to “any other investigation we may or may not be doing.” But he put people on notice that his office is continuing to pursue any corruption.
“We are determined to address it from root to branch, and our work is far from done,” he said at a news conference.
Cordasco and Saccavino were former chiefs of the city Fire Department's Bureau of Fire Prevention, which is responsible for regulating the installation of fire safety and suppression systems throughout New York City and ensuring fire safety regulations are obeyed.
Outside the courthouse, attorney Joseph Caldarera called his client, Saccavino, “an American hero,” a 9/11 first responder who had been with the department since 1995. Prosecutors, he said, "got the wrong guy.”
“He vehemently denies all of the allegations against him today,” the lawyer said. “Is this connected to City Hall? Is this connected to Eric Adams? I'm sure that's the next big question. At this time we don't know and we don't have an answer to that question.”
Attorney Frank Rothman, representing Cordasco, told reporters that his client “has been a dedicated firefighter for two decades, serving fearlessly and faithfully.”
He added: “This is indeed a sad and troubling day, but I'm glad he's on his way home.”
While the indictment makes no reference to projects linked to the Turkish government, it does refer to a “City Hall List” allegedly used by the fire department to “track inquiries and requests from City Hall stakeholders” and give priority to those projects. Adams, a Democrat, has previously denied the existence of the priority list.
In a lawsuit filed last year, a former fire chief said the list had grown substantially under Adams, becoming “a mechanism to press the FDNY to permit politically connected developers to cut the inspection line.”
Williams said at Monday's news conference that Cordasco and Saccavino allegedly used the list to "excuse or cover up the way in which they were pressuring other folks to expedite the matters they were being bribed to expedite.”
According to a news release, Saccavino and Cardasco solicited and accepted bribes from a retired firefighter who ran an unsanctioned “expediting” business that promised customers that he could fast-track their plan reviews and inspection dates in exchange for a fee. Williams said the retired firefighter has pleaded guilty to charges in the case.
The trio managed to collect over $190,000 in payments in a scheme they launched after the coronavirus pandemic created a backlog of work for the fire department's fire-safety division, Williams said.
Even as Cordasco allegedly participated in a bribery scheme, he was raising concern internally about the ethics of granting priority to other projects, according to emails obtained last year by The Associated Press and other outlets.
Following a request by City Hall to expedite an inspection at Hudson Yards, a Manhattan mega-development, Cordasco wrote to other chiefs that it was “extremely unfair to the applicants who had been waiting at least eight weeks for their inspections.”
In a statement, Fire Commissioner Robert Tucker said the department will “fully cooperate” with the investigation, adding each of his employees has sworn an oath to honest and ethical behavior and that "anything less will not be tolerated.”
Over the weekend, the top legal adviser to Adams abruptly resigned. That came days after the head of the New York Police Department resigned after federal investigators seized his phone.
Associated Press Writer Jennifer Peltz contributed to this report.
Retired New York City Fire Department Chief Brian Cordasco leaves federal court in New York, Monday Sept. 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Stefan Jeremiah)
Retired New York City Fire Department Chief Brian Cordasco, right, and his lawyer Frank Rothman, leave federal court in New York, Monday Sept. 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Stefan Jeremiah)
Retired New York City Fire Department Chief Brian Cordasco, right, and his lawyer Frank Rothman, leave federal court in New York, Monday Sept. 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Stefan Jeremiah)
Retired New York City Fire Department Chief Brian Cordasco, right, and his lawyer Frank Rothman, leave federal court in New York, Monday Sept. 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Stefan Jeremiah)
This Feb. 7, 2023 image provided by the Fire Department of the City of New York, shows Brian Cordasco, one of two former NYFD chiefs arrested Monday, Sept. 16, 2024, on charges that they solicited tens of thousands of dollars in bribes to provide preferential treatment in the department's fire prevention bureau. (Fire Department of the City of New York via AP)
This Feb. 7, 2023 image provided by the Fire Department of the City of New York, shows Anthony Saccavino, one of two former NYFD chiefs arrested Monday, Sept. 16, 2024, on charges that they solicited tens of thousands of dollars in bribes to provide preferential treatment in the department's fire prevention bureau. (Fire Department of the City of New York via AP)
This combo of Feb. 7, 2023 images provided by the Fire Department of the City of New York, shows Brian Cordasco, left, and Anthony Saccavino, two former NYFD chiefs arrested Monday, Sept. 16, 2024, on charges that they solicited tens of thousands of dollars in bribes to provide preferential treatment in the department's fire prevention bureau. (Fire Department of the City of New York via AP)
Damian Williams, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, speaks at a press conference at Federal Plaza in New York, Monday Sept. 16, 2024, following the arrest of two former New York City Fire Department chiefs. (AP Photo/Stefan Jeremiah)
Damian Williams, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, holds a binder marked confidential during a press conference at Federal Plaza in New York, Monday Sept. 16, 2024, following the arrest of two former New York City Fire Department chiefs. (AP Photo/Stefan Jeremiah)
FBI New York Assistant Director in Charge, James E. Dennehy looks on as DOI Commissioner Jocelyn E. Strauber speaks at a press conference at Federal Plaza in New York, Monday Sept. 16, 2024, following the arrest of two former New York City Fire Department chiefs. (AP Photo/Stefan Jeremiah)
New York City Department of Investigation Commissioner Jocelyn E. Strauber, speaks as Manhattan-based U.S. Attorney Damian Williams, left, and FBI New York Assistant Director in Charge, James E. Dennehy, second from left, look on during a press conference at Federal Plaza in New York, Monday Sept. 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Stefan Jeremiah)
FBI New York Assistant Director in Charge, James E. Dennehy, speaks at a press conference at Federal Plaza in New York, Monday Sept. 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Stefan Jeremiah)
Manhattan-based U.S. Attorney Damian Williams speaks at a press conference at Federal Plaza in New York, Monday Sept. 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Stefan Jeremiah)
Manhattan-based U.S. Attorney Damian Williams speaks at a press conference at Federal Plaza in New York, Monday Sept. 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Stefan Jeremiah)
Manhattan-based U.S. Attorney Damian Williams points to a graphic detailing a New York City Fire Department bribery scheme at a press conference at Federal Plaza in New York, Monday Sept. 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Stefan Jeremiah)
U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Damian Williams, points to a graphic detailing a FDNY bribery scheme at a press conference held at the Federal Plaza in New York, Monday, Sept. 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Stefan Jeremiah)
