Los Angeles Chargers head coach Anthony Lynn was accused of blocking Antonio Gates and Philip Rivers from attending the Hall of Fame induction ceremony of LaDainian Tomlinson. It’s an assertion he vehemently denied, and while he does want Rivers at practice Gates will be attending the ceremony, per Dan Woike of the Los Angeles Times.
Antonio Gates will be attending LaDainian Tomlinson's HOF induction with team permission. Philip Rivers will be staying for practice.
— Dan Woike (@DanWoikeSports) August 1, 2017
Rivers made it clear on Monday that he’d be attending practice. He said that his focus was on the Chargers and that he had already talked to Tomlinson, per Alex Flanagan of NFL Network. It’s also important to note that Tomlinson sees these guys on a regular basis, now that he’s a member of the organization once again.
It’s much more critical for Rivers to be at practice, quite honestly, than it is for Gates to be there. Gates could sit out most of training camp and be able to play without any real issues. He’s probably not even going to be the starting tight end this year, with Hunter Henry coming on strong. And for him, chemistry with Rivers is about as built in as his ability to catch touchdowns with his eyes closed.
Gates played with Tomlinson for seven seasons when both of them played in San Diego. The two of them were both the best at their positions for most of their time together. So it’ll be nice for LT to see a familiar face out there in the crowd as he gets inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.