This is interesting.
S.D.'s Gates blames travel problems for not arriving by deadline
Antonio Gates hadn't even stepped on the field and he already was running some zigzag routes.
Besides contradicting his agent, the record-setting tight end said on Monday that travel problems kept him from reporting to training camp by Saturday afternoon, as mandated by the San Diego Chargers.
Missing the deadline had serious consequences. The Chargers say they will place the All-Pro on the Roster Exempt List, meaning he'll have to sit out the final two exhibition games and the season opener against Dallas on Sept. 11.
"You don't understand," Gates said during a nine-minute news conference before he was hustled off to a meeting. "I tried to come in Saturday but I couldn't get a flight. So we ended up calling and explaining we weren't able to make it in Saturday. So it wasn't my intention to actually miss the deadline."
That was news to the Chargers, who despite 10 months of talks have been unable to agree with Gates' agent on terms of a long-term contract.
The team never mentioned Gates' failure to get a flight, either in a statement Saturday afternoon announcing that Gates had missed the deadline, or on Sunday when general manager A.J. Smith held a news conference at halftime of a 36-21 exhibition win over St. Louis.
"As you know, all the rumors were that he was on his way," Smith said Sunday. "We had not officially heard that. But we got a phone call before we kicked off. He is on his way. He is going to sign the tender this evening."
Smith didn't immediately return a phone call on Monday.
But, said team spokesman Bill Johnston: "We only had conversations with the agent on Saturday morning, and the agent never informed us that Antonio was coming in on Saturday. We weren't notified until Sunday before the game."
Gates' agent, Andre Colona, didn't return a phone call or e-mail seeking comment.
Gates, an exclusive-rights free agent, reported Sunday night and signed a $380,000, one-year contract, the minimum for a third-year player.
Gates had a breakout year in 2004, helping the Chargers go 12-4 and reach the playoffs for the first time in nine seasons. Gates caught 13 touchdown passes -- a league record for tight ends -- and led the Chargers with 81 catches for 964 yards.
Gates also said he wants negotiations to continue after the season opener, contradicting reports quoting Colona as saying the player doesn't want to extend talks past Sept. 11.
"Absolutely," Gates said when asked if he'd negotiate through the season. "The door is definitely open to negotiation. We're still talking. Things are going perfectly fine right now."
On Sunday, Smith concurred with Colona that "negotiations are dead in the water."
"I'm quite sure at some point something will get done," said Gates, who wants to be paid in the range of the league's other top tight ends. "I'm here basically on good faith that something will get done. They want me here, so we have an understanding that most likely something will get done."
In an attempt to break an impasse, the team sent Colona a letter more than a week ago ordering Gates to be in camp and sign a contract by Saturday, or be put on the Roster Exempt List.
"I didn't really feel upset about the situation," Gates said. "I thought it could have been done different ways. For the most part I want to move forward from that. I'm back here, I'm healthy, I'm ready to get ready to play."
But he won't be able to play until the second regular-season game, Sept. 18 at Denver.
Gates said he heard there was a way to get the roster exemption lifted, but NFL spokesman Steve Alic reiterated on Monday that no such process exists.
"There's no precedent for anything being altered," Alic said.
