It’s never a smart idea to text and drive. It’s also probably not a smart idea to break a massive, unexpected trade regarding one of the most electrifying talents in the National Football League, with two of the most passionate fan bases involved, while driving through a blizzard.
But ESPN NFL insider Adam Schefter is more passionate about his job — and better at his job — than most, and so that’s exactly what he did back in 2015.
With LeSean McCoy announcing his retirement this past week, Schefter recalled the story of how he had to break the news of McCoy’s trade from Philadelphia to Buffalo under inopportune circumstances.
Schefter, who typically paid someone to bring him to ESPN in Bristol, Connecticut — partly in case he had to cover news on the way over — decided that it was such a slow time of year for football news that he’d give his driver the day off. After all, what massive trades break in late February/early March, while we’re still on the comedown from the Super Bowl but have yet to reach free agency?
“So I decided to drive myself to ESPN, to Bristol, Connecticut, in a day when it happened to be a raging snowstorm. And as I was coming home at about 6:30 p.m. ET that night, I get a text that said, ‘LeSean McCoy is signing with Buffalo.’,” Schefter said. “And I got the text as I’m driving in the snow, and I’m looking down and I’m thinking, ‘LeSean McCoy is signing with Buffalo?’ Free agency doesn’t begin until next month. He’s still under contract. He can’t even sign with Buffalo! How is this happening?
“Well, I began making calls and sure enough, I had to pull over in the snowstorm because I couldn’t see where I was driving and the news had come in that Philadelphia was trading LeSean McCoy to Buffalo for linebacker Kiko Alonso. And it came in, like, the middle of February on a day no one was expecting at the time, when there was a raging snowstorm in Connecticut.”
After digging a little bit through Twitter, it seems like Schefter’s memory is just a tad off, as his reports of the trade were made on March 3 — and it doesn’t sound like he sat on the news for too long based on the next part of the story.
“To this day, I have no idea where I was pulled over on the side of the road, but I was pulled over, calling into SportsCenter, doing live shots over the telephone from some godforsaken snow-covered road, couldn’t see anything, and that was the last time I allowed myself to drive to Bristol, Connecticut,” Schefter recalled.
Schefter also recalls being unable to get in touch with then-Eagles head coach Chip Kelly, as it turns out he was speaking at a temple in Philadelphia for a community service event, adding even more chaos to an already-hectic situation.
“It was just a crazy night. Snowstorm, unexpected move, big-time running back, Chip Kelly at a temple, under siege from local news trucks,” Schefter said. “And so we wish LeSean McCoy a successful retirement and thank him for a storied career split primarily between Philadelphia and Buffalo, where he was a tremendous talent.”
McCoy would go on to spend the next four seasons with the Bills, where he finished sixth in franchise history with 3,814 rushing yards, while rushing for 25 touchdowns. He also added 1,334 receiving yards during his tenure in Buffalo, amassing five additional touchdowns. "Shady" was also named to three Pro Bowls while playing with the Bills.
McCoy was also a key piece to the Buffalo offense in the 2017 season that helped the Bills snap their extensive playoff drought.
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