Kansas City, Mo. ? Tony Gonzalez held a players-only meeting with his teammates Wednesday to assure them he’s not bitter the Kansas City Chiefs failed to trade him to a contender.

The nine-time Pro Bowler admitted, however, he first felt “betrayed” that the Chiefs had not made a deal before the NFL trade deadline Tuesday.

“Initially, yes,” he said. “I thought, ‘I can’t believe this. It’s a lie.’ But then the more I think about it, the more I calmed down.”

Gonzalez said he asked to meet with the other Chiefs to make sure the young players knew it’s about “being the best football player you can be no matter what the situation is.”

Gonzalez, 32, holds virtually every NFL receiving record for tight ends. He asked to be traded to a contender because he felt the rebuilding Chiefs (1-4) were not likely to reach championship caliber in the years he has left.

Gonzalez said he heard the Chiefs were offered a third-round pick for him, but Carl Peterson, the team’s president and general manager, told The Associated Press no team had “come close” to any reasonable offer.