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“Why doesn’t Ronnie like you?
I shrug. “Ronnie doesn’t like losing. No one does.”
“You won plenty of games last season. Ronnie had his best season. He holds the single season record for touchdowns in the organization. He was your favorite target. And yet, he took digs at you all year.” She smiles slightly and I shift in my seat.
Sweat slips between my shoulder blades. Ronnie’s dislike of me was instant. I never tried to find out why. At the time, it didn’t feel important, but now, I wish I’d made some effort to discover his reasons.
I want to remind her that I’m not the first quarterback he’s called out after a loss. He has less friends on that team than I do. He always wants to blame someone else, and that doesn’t build respect.
“You’re not the kind of guy who rallies the locker room.”
It’s like a sucker punch. I used to be that guy.
Until I played the worst playoff game in the history of the league.
How in the hell am I supposed to respond? My bitterness toward Ronnie increases exponentially. If it weren’t for him, she wouldn’t have the opportunity to say anything so harsh, especially not to my face. Is she trying to make me mad? Is she looking for an outburst? I’m not going to give her one. “You ever cover Michigan the year we won?”
Her eyes narrow, just a little. It’s a leading question. I know she used to cover Michigan. It’s where we first met, and she calls me on it. “You know I did.”
“I was a freshman on a roster with tons of veterans, and they voted me captain.” It’s not unheard of for a freshman quarterback to be a captain. They are, after all, the leader of the offense. But the team picked me, they believed in me. In those days, the guys followed me without question.
She nods thoughtfully. “What happened? How does a guy go from captain of a national championship team to virtual outcast?”
I force a laugh. “Outcast is a bit harsh. One guy has beef with me and is making up stories that aren’t true.”
“One guy,” she says, slowly. I brace myself. She’s questioning my leadership skills, which is disastrous to my current situation—I need teams to trust me. “Both you and Ronnie were fined ten thousand dollars for the altercation after your last game?”
I pause, completely thrown off by the change of direction. “That’s correct.”
“Were you angry?”
“I wasn’t happy. We’d just lost.”
She gives a brief shake of her head. “Were you angry about the fine?
“Of course not. When I chose to pursue a career as a professional athlete, I knew my actions would be viewed by the world. I have an obligation to conduct myself in a manner that reflects well on me and the organization. I accept full responsibility for my actions during that incident and I paid the fine without complaint.”
“Did you know Ronnie is appealing the fine?” Her expression stays neutral, but I can practically feel the calculation behind the question.
“I did not. As far as I’m concerned, the incident is over. I’ve put it behind me.”
That should be the end of it, but she’s too tenacious to let it go. “He’s claiming you antagonized him.”
I dart a quick glance at Judy. No one shared that juicy tidbit with me. “We antagonized each other. There’s video evidence of what happened. It’s grainy, but there’s no doubt—he punched me first.” It isn’t my fault I laid him out. He shouldn’t have started something with a bigger guy. “I have nothing further to say on the matter.”
Annabelle purses her lips, as if deciding whether to push harder. She is remarkably good at displaying her thoughts without speaking. “You’re going to be a free agent. There’s a lot of speculation about what you’ll do. Anything to share?”
“I have every confidence I can compete at the highest level, and I believe I’ll find a team who trusts me to lead them to a championship.” It’s such a manufactured line that I almost laugh. I don’t have to look at Judy to know she’s nodding.
“You have single handedly lost critical games. Should teams worry?”
I hide my wince. Single handedly is an exaggeration. I could give her my “it’s a team game” speech, but what’s the point? “I can’t guarantee wins, but I can guarantee that I’ll do everything in my power to pursue victory.”
“You seem to be an optimistic guy. How do you deal with losing?” She leans forward, her eyes intense.
I thought the hardest part of the interview was over, but I’ve got no idea how to answer her question. I look off into the distance. I can’t very well admit that I eat junk food and closet myself in my DC apartment while I work through my emotions. “I surround myself with people who support me.”
“People like Amber Hope.”
