Gates on attending LT's HOF ceremony: 'I would've paid the fine twice'

Antonio Gates wasn't going to miss out on the opportunity to see LaDainian Tomlinson officially become football royalty.

After several days of uncertainty about whether Gates would be at his former teammate's Hall of Fame induction ceremony Saturday - uncertainty that started after a report suggested the Chargers wouldn't let Gates and Philip Rivers miss training camp to attend - the veteran tight end ultimately got the green light.

But that's not to say he was really seeking permission. As Gates told Marty Caswell of Mighty 1090 before the ceremony got underway, he was prepared to make the trip to Canton, Ohio even if the Chargers fined him for a brief training-camp absence.

"Absolutely," Gates said. "I would've paid the fine twice to be here."

Rivers didn't join Gates for Saturday night's induction ceremony, but the quarterback did pass along a congratulatory video message recorded from the end zone where Tomlinson broke the single-season touchdown record in 2006.

The star trio combined to lead a stellar offense in that season and each of the three that followed, posting top-five scoring finishes and capturing AFC West titles in four straight years.