Page 96 of Best Year Ever
“I hear that,” Jalen responds, nodding. “Rawley, how about you?”
“Well,” Rawley says, clearing his throat. “Definitely, we want to go to the championship too. The collegiate one.”
His voice wavers a bit. Shoot, I know how important this interview is for Rawley, and now I’m feeling a little worried for him. I say a little prayer that he finds his confidence.
Landon jumps in. “What Rawleyisn’tgoing to tell you is that he lives and breathes football. He works his butt off to help his team. Can I say butt on here?” Jalen and he laugh.
Jalen then turns back to Rawley.
“I heard you have been going to Florida to train with Landon during the off-season. What’s it like to have a brother in the NFL, and to be able to work with real pros?”
“Oh man,” Rawley says, sounding more natural. “It’s been awesome. I’ve been able to go to Johnson Samuel’s house and practice on his mock field. I could play all day on that.”
Landon jumps in. “The kid has made me throw it to him one hundred times when Johnson hasn’t been around to do it. Practice catching from every position.”
Jalen nods. “Probably a good thing for a wide receiver to love to do.”
Rawley seems to be getting his footing, as he speaks back up. “And yeah, Landon’s the best big brother. I’ve given him a headache or three, but he’s really paving the way, showing me what’s possible.”
They laugh at his headache joke and keep the interview moving along. Rawley draws most of my attention only because I know what’s at stake for him. He appears more relaxed now, even cracking a couple more football jokes. Acting more like the fun-loving, outgoing personality that Landon has described.
Jalen suddenly switches to a more serious expression. “Now, Rawley, I hate to go here, but there have been unflattering accounts of your off-field behavior. A photograph published inFirst and Tenhas invited some questions too. What do you want to say about all of that?”
Rawley’s face tightens, and his eyes dart around a little bit, like he’s trying to find his words. “Well, all I can say is I love football. I would never do anything to jeopardize playing or hurt my team. Being in the NFL is my lifelong dream.”
That answer isn’t terrible, but it also doesn’t address the off-field conduct question head-on. I know from my own media training that some people watching may pick up on that evasion and make it a thing.
I’m not surprised that Landon steps in to try and clean it up. “Rawley’s a great person, a great teammate. He does things the right way. I think whichever NFL team he ends up with is going to be thankful they have him in the locker room.”
Jalen lets the subject go then, asking about their predictions for the preseason games scheduled for the afternoon.
After the interview closes, I text Landon, saying that I watched and asking him how he felt about it.It would be nice to have at least one thing go right, my salty brain says to itself.
Sighing, I head to the dryer to take out my last load before my final packing. As I walk back, my phone dings.
It’s Julie.
JULIE: Hey, looking at the Toronto brackets. Wanted to make sure you saw that you’re in the same section as Tessa. You guys will face off in the round of 16 if you win.
JULIE: That might be why she’s playing her mind games this week.
Oh, it’s on. I can’t wait to show her whattrueclass is.
CHAPTER 35
Landon
LATER THAT SUNDAY NIGHT
Connor: Just got off with Del Kuyper. Thanks for setting it up.
Landon: He’s a good dude. How was it?
Connor: It was cool to hear his story. Starting striker at UCLA to NFL kicker making millions?
Landon: Food for thought, right? Helpful to know your options.
Connor: Still, please don’t make this a thing. I’m not a football player. I’m a soccer player.
