Derrick Henry to Eagles? 'I Messed Up the Trade!' - Akbar Gbajabiamila's Goofy 'Humblebrag'

“I had a very, very credible source and I do believe that I actually messed up this trade because (the information) wasn’t supposed to come out,” the American Ninja Warrior star Gbajabiamila says of how Derrick Henry ended up not coming to the Eagles.

The creator of the rumor that assured all that the Philadelphia Eagles were in the process of adding Derrick Henry? He played in the NFL. He works for a major media outlet. And he has a connection with the Titans star running back's representation.

How could Akbar Gbajabiamila- who cited a “very, very credible source” on April 22 in reporting that Henry was "heading'' to Philly - get it so wrong? In a wild case of "humblebrag,'' Gbajabiamila is both ...

1 - Sticking with the veracity of his report, which seems rather insane, except ...

2 - Claiming that it was the power of his report of a leak that literally ruined the all-but-done deal. Which also seems rather insane.

“I had a very, very credible source and I do believe that I actually messed up this trade because (the information) wasn’t supposed to come out,” the American Ninja Warrior star Gbajabiamila said as he appeared on The Rich Eisen Show, firmly insisting his reporting was accurate.

"This could have happened,'' he said, "but I think because I got ahead of it and it just blew up. I blew up the scene.”

BREAKING: Move out the way, Derrick Henry (@KingHenry_2) is headed to The @Eagles 🦅 pic.twitter.com/RQCfURvmn8

— Akbar Gbajabiamila (@Akbar_Gbaja) April 22, 2023

The tale remains full of holes. Gbajabiamila appears to be sincere here, but maybe also confused. He's a "TV personality'' rather than a "reporter'' - "I wasn’t trying to compete with Ian Rapoport and all the other guys,'' he said - and there is no evidence that the Eagles and Titans even engaged in serious trade discussions. Indeed, the three-time Pro Bowler seems locked in with the Titans, with new general manager Ran Carthon often denying the stories that suggested the two-time rushing champ might be dumped.

And the idea that two teams had essentially finalized a trade and were happy with it - happy enough to tell people about it! - but then pulled back and covered the whole thing up because the host of American Ninja Warrior tweeted about it at 1:39 a.m. ... doesn't make much sense.

Henry stayed in Tennessee. Philadelphia traded for D’Andre Swift. And Gbajabiamila is somehow trying to take all the credit and all the blame.

“I didn’t realize that, a) anybody would be paying attention, and b) I didn’t think that I wasn’t supposed to say it. So, I just said, ‘Hey, let me go ahead ...''

The story blew up. Akbar's self-proclaimed naivety aside, he has earned his tweet 11 million views.

Akbar Gbajabiamila addresses his Derrick Henry to the #Eagles report that proved to be false: “I had a very, very credible source. I do believe I messed up this trade.. I think because I got out ahead of it, and it blew up, I blew up the scene.”

( via @RichEisenShow ) pic.twitter.com/VrIkyhATky

— Eagles Nation (@PHLEaglesNation) June 13, 2023

In the journalism world, wrong is wrong. But Gbajabiamila - maybe naive to that policy - continues to peddle his wares.

“Let me tell you something,'' Gbajabiamila said. "(GM) Howie Roseman could have made it happen. We saw what he did with Jalen Hurts. He made that work. You saw what he did with A.J. Brown. He made that work.''

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