When safety Tre Boston was weighing his options after being cut by the Carolina Panthers, he had it narrowed down to three teams. The Los Angeles Chargers came out on top, thanks to a conversation Boston had with a stranger at a gas station.
Tre Boston signed with Chargers because of chance gas station encounter
That’s one way to make a decision.
Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images
Jeanna Kelley has been covering the Falcons for The Falcoholic since 2011 and the NFL for SB Nation since 2015.
Boston was deciding among the Chargers, the Buffalo Bills, and the Pittsburgh Steelers when he encountered the man. The man asked if Boston could spare a dollar or two, and Boston gave him $20.
”So he tells me thank you so much, and that God put me in his life for a reason,” Boston said, via Eric D. Williams of ESPN. “And in my mind I’m saying, you’re here for a reason, too. So in my mind I’m saying should I ask him, ‘L.A. or Buffalo.’ And before I could ask him, my man told me, ‘Thank you so much. There aren’t too many people like you in this world, God’s children. My name’s Mike Daniels, but people call me L.A.’”
It was Daniels’ nickname that made Boston’s path forward clear. Boston saw the chance encounter as a sign that God was directing him to the Chargers.
“At the end of the day, God told me to come here,” Boston said. “And I’m a man of faith, so I couldn’t go against his word.”
Boston had 53 tackles, two sacks, and two interceptions with the Panthers last season before being cut to save some cap space. He signed a one-year deal with the Chargers and will compete with Dwight Lowery for the starting free safety role.
