“I know.”
“What do you need?”
“Three defensible pieces. A retired player willing to go on record. Marcus’s funding trail. One source with direct knowledge willing to attach a name to the practice instead of the rumor.”
Gil watches me for a second. “And McAllister?”
I keep my face still. “Not a source.”
“That is not what I asked.”
“He is not involved in the reporting.”
“Good. Keep it that way. This has to survive a conflict review before it survives legal.”
“It will.”
“Document every contact. No locker-room conversations. No private relationship spillover. No anonymous claim without corroboration.” He pauses. “If the story cannot stand without McAllister, it does not stand.”
“It can.”
“Then prove it on the page.”
I nod once.
He looks back at his tablet. “Send me a source matrix by morning. Names, access level, what they can prove, what they can only suggest, and what still exposes us.”
“Okay.”
“And Peyton.”
I stop at the door.
“Do not make the thesis bigger than the evidence. If the evidence is pattern, write pattern. If the evidence is one room, write one room. If the evidence is league culture, prove league culture.”
“I know.”
“Good. Go report.”
I leave his office and sit at my desk.
At the bottom of my inbox, a new message has arrived while I was in with Gil.
Subject line: Off the record: injury reporting.
Former Stampede equipment staffer.
I read it twice.
Then type back immediately.
When are you available?
The former equipment staffer answers at 11:43 that night.
No call. Written only.
No names yet.
