Antonio Gates speaks out
Earlier in the week, former New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning indicated during an interview that he may have been bluffing prior to the 2004 NFL Draft when reports came out that he would hold out if the San Diego Chargers drafted him.
“Whether I really would have held out or not, no one knows,” Manning told Trey Wingo. “It may have just been a big bluff. But we felt it was the right move to say that and do that, and see if we could convince them not to draft me.”
Now former Chargers’ tight end and future Hall of Famer Antonio Gates came out and made it clear that he still isn’t thrilled with how Manning handled the situation.
“I think I was frustrated in terms of who gets drafted and worries about where they’re playing?” Gates told CBS Sports Radio, via WFAN New York, via Giants Wire. “As a high school and college kid, as you move up the ladder, your dream is about playing professional sports; at that moment, to me, you should be happier about being in a position to live a dream than worried about where it is.”
Gates blames Archie Manning, Eli’s father.
“Eli still had a great career in New York, but it’s unfortunate that he had his father guide him in the way he thought was best for his son,” Gates said. “You see that with a lot of athletes, but for the most part, I felt like it was an honor and privilege to play, let alone in San Diego — who wouldn’t want to play in San Diego?”
Gates should say nice things about playing in San Diego, but the Chargers aren’t a very well run organization with Dean Spanos in charge, so I can’t blame Manning for not wanting to play there.
At the end of the day, both teams made out well with the trade and the Giants ended up with two Super Bowl trophies.
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