Chapter Six: A Weight Off
I got into work the following day, still sore all over. Muscles ached that I never even knew I had, but it was a good sore. It meant that I had put my body to the test, and it had passed. I thought I would still be in bed after yesterday's game, but I was reporting to work here.
"Rod!" Jackson yelled from down the hall.
I looked around and saw that everyone was frantically running back and forth. "What's going on?" I asked.
"You have no idea the morning we have had," Jackson said as he walked with me to his office. "You had a game yesterday with some of your old friends?"
"Yeah," I said as I sat down.
I didn't think anything of it. It was a good pickup game, nothing big. We used to do it all the time when we were in college and even in high school.
"What's the big deal?" I asked.
"Big deal," Jackson said as he smiled back at me. "The big deal is some of your old friends are retired sports stars," Jackson said. "The big deal is some of those students that were watching put videos online, Snapchat, Tik Tok, Facebook, you name it, it's all over the place."
"They are still good," I nodded, thinking about how most of the guys still had tread on their tires.
"No one is talking about them, of course they are good," Jackson shook his head. "Everyone wants to know who you are!"
Jackson turned on the sports channel after a few minutes, and a video of the boys and I playing at the college grounds came up.
"So, everyone been asking who this guy is," the man on the television said. "Roland Pierce, that's who!"
I was shocked to hear my name on the television. "If that name rings a bell to some of you, it should," he said with a smile. "Number Eighty-Seven for the Canes," he nodded.
"Back in the glory days!" the other man said.
"Well, look at what he did back then," the first said.
Footage of my college games came on, showing me catching and scoring touchdowns over and over.
"Why didn't he go to the NFL?" one of the other men said as they returned to the panel.
"Let's ask an old teammate," the first said.
"Shit!" I said, sitting back in my chair as Kevin's face appeared on the screen.
"Hey Kevin, how's retired life?" the first asked.
"It's been good, Dave," Kevin nodded.
"We hear you are writing a biography how is that coming?" another asked.
"Good, really good," Kevin nodded.
"So, let's cut to the chase," Dave said. "You've seen the video, and in one of your tweets this morning you said quote no surprise, he still has it, end quote."
"No surprise at all," Kevin shook his head. "To all of us that played with Rod, we knew he could play, he could catch anything, any throw, any route, anytime."
What followed was the four men questioning and talking to Kevin about my past and what they thought of the video. Then the question came up about me not going to the NFL. Kevin didn't answer. He responded by giving what everyone thought was the truth, but not the truth as he had known it.
"Turn it off," I nodded.
Jackson looked at me and knew something was bothering me. I couldn't let Kevin go on television and lie for me. He had turned my life around, and I owed him for that, as well as a lot of things.
"You still have your podcast?" I asked, looking up at him.
"Sure," Jackson said, sitting back in his chair. "Something you need to get off your chest?"
I nodded.
A few minutes later, we were downstairs in the sound room. Jackson had told all the people he could that he had a great interview lined up, and the phones didn't stop ringing. I even got a text from Jason, wondering what was going on. I told him to tune in, and I would let it all out.
After the lead-up and getting everyone's attention, Jackson introduced me, and I introduced myself to his followers and anyone else that was listening.
"So, you told me there was something you wanted to get off your chest, so it's all yours," Jackson said as he leaned back and nodded.
I coughed, then let it all out. I aired my dirty laundry for the world to hear. I told everyone about dropping the go-ahead winning catch on purpose. I told them about faking the injury on a tackle that wasn't Brian Henry's fault.
That was the linebacker that hit me that Saturday. I told them the pass was perfect, and I oversold the tackle and the injury. I apologized to coach Douglas for letting him down and to Kevin for giving him the team's weight to carry after I left.
"Sounds good," Jackson said as I stopped. "How do you feel now?"
"Embarrassed," I nodded with a slight shrug. "But I feel lighter."
"That was a lot of weight to carry all these years," Jackson said.
I nodded as he ended the podcast on a lighter note.
'Still the man!' I got a text. It was Kevin.
I rushed to pick up the phone. "I thought you were pissed," I said as I got out of the booth.
"Angry, yes, pissed no," Kevin said. "I am proud of you, that took heavyweight balls, to say all that on the air."
I laughed. He was still the same Kevin as I knew him back then. "We are good?" I asked.
"We are good, I promise," Kevin replied.