It was March of 2015. Coveted running back Frank Gore, the third-leading rusher in NFL history, was on the verge of becoming a Philadelphia Eagle, just needing to dot a few I’s and cross a few T’s. But suddenly, the five-time Pro Bowler reversed course, bailing on the Eagles to join Indianapolis. At the time, Eagles fans viewed it as an act of treason, a betrayal of Shakespearean proportion.
The Eagles made lemonade out of lemons, pivoting to fellow free agents DeMarco Murray and Ryan Mathews, but if the team was looking for closure, it didn't come … until Wednesday night. That’s right. After six years of sworn secrecy, Gore is finally ready to pull back the curtain, opening up on the last-minute change of heart that ended his Eagles career before it began.
“Nick Foles called me. I committed to him, said I was going to come. He called me, ‘Congrats, can’t wait to get on the field.’ Then the next day, he got traded,” Gore shared with Rob Maaddi of the Associated Press. “Then I see Jeremy Maclin, he went to Kansas City. I’m like, ‘Man.’”
That’s when Gore, who is slated to make his professional boxing debut this weekend, began to get cold feet. “At the time, [I was at] 10 years, 11,000 yards. I’m trying to win a championship. I got a taste of playing in the Super Bowl with San Fran, but we didn’t win,” said Gore, whose 11,073 career rushing yards as a 49er are the most in franchise history. “When I saw the pieces leaving, I just felt like we couldn’t win the Super Bowl there.”
With Gore souring on the Eagles, Indianapolis, coming off consecutive division titles and a deep playoff run the year prior, soon became his best option. “The Colts, they just lost the AFC Championship. If I go to the Colts and I call Andre Johnson [who he won a national championship with at the University of Miami], I felt like we could get them over the top.”
Gore was productive over his three seasons in Indianapolis (2,953 rushing yards, 19 combined rushing and receiving touchdowns), but never reached the playoffs, while the Eagles would hoist the Lombardi Trophy—led by Super Bowl MVP Nick Foles, ironically enough—just three years later. The 38-year-old will be in the ring to take on former NBA All-Star Deron Williams Saturday in Tampa with coverage beginning at 9 PM ET on Showtime. The Gore vs. Williams heavyweight bout will serve as the undercard to the main event, YouTube personality Jake Paul against former UFC welterweight champ Tyron Woodley.
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