Page 27 of Sidelining the Safety

Hell, yeah. Coach O’s pearly whites glowed against the deep black of his skin. If Lee hadn’t already felt ten feet tall, seeing Coach happy lifted him higher. His cheeks hurt with how big his own smile was.

Yowie dragged him to the bench, taking the ball and handing it off to their equipment manager. When Yowie tapped Lee’s helmet, he popped his top, raked his palm over his head, and took a deep breath.

“You all right?” Yowie fell onto the bench beside him.

Lee glanced over at Yowie, then at the field, watching as Addy threw a pass to veteran Logan Foster—AKA Gunner—that moved the chains. “Yeah, just… I don’t know.”

“Adrenaline, man. It’s a crazy thing.”

“Yeah.” Lee chuckled. Addy and the offense worked their way toward the goal line. Inside the red zone, Yowie and Lee joined the rest of the team along the sideline, adding their cheers to the others.

Addy dropped back, looked right, left, right again, stepped, and threw. Touchdown! Holy shit. Lee had a conversion that resulted in a TD. Yowie threw his arm around Lee and side-hugged him, shouting nonsense in his ear.

“You ready to do it again?” Yowie asked as they drifted back to the bench after the kick sailed through the uprights, giving them a 7-0 lead.

“Yeah.” And Lee was. He snapped his helmet in place, tucked his mouthguard between his teeth, and jogged onto the field with the special teams unit for the kickoff.

CHAPTER 20

THE DRAFT

WITH SPECIAL GUEST LEE MATTERS, ROOKIE SAFETY FOR THE AUSTIN TROOPERS

“Welcome Back, fans, to The Draft. I’m your host, Kingsley Black, and along with my co-host, Juan Carlos, we have a special guest with us today: rookie safety with the Austin Troopers, Lee Matters. Welcome, Lee.”

“Hi, Kingsley. Hi, Juan Carlos. Thanks for having me.”

“Say hi to the fans, too, Lee.”

“Hi to the fans!”

[Kingsley and Juan Carlos laugh.]

“Every time, Kingsley. Every time.”

“I know, Juan Carlos. It is what it is. But let’s get this interview going. Give us your stats, Lee. Your lead up to the draft…”

“Sure. I’ve been playing football since Peewee. Played all four years at Rutgers with at least three interceptions and about two dozen tackles each year. To tell you the truth, I hadn’t planned on playing professionally. I’ve got a B.S. in accounting that I’d planned to use to help grow my mom’s catering business. Take over the financials so she can focus on creating her signature grazing boards and other menus. Then I got the invite to the Combine. That was wild. My mom and aunt encouraged me to go, and interview with the different teams… hearing their feedback… I got excited. The Troopers drafted me in the third round. I knew they were seriously interested, but it still came as a shock to be drafted that high.”

“Seems like, after those two interceptions against Atlanta, you were worth the price tag.”

“I hope so, Kingsley. I’m going to work my butt off to earn it.”

“We’re sure you will.”

“Hey, Lee…”

“Yes, Juan Carlos…”

“We’re told you’re a Jersey boy, huh? Compare the weather.”

“Oh, man. Austin. Is. Hot. I always thought New Jersey was, especially with the humidity, but damn, you got us beat. I nearly got myself an IV line on the first day of camp.”

[Kingsley groans and then laughs.] “Yup, fluids are a thing. We need lots of electrolytes like Gatorade can provide. Personally, I’m loving the new Fast Twitch. Just drop the powder in my water bottle and I’m good for hours.”

“I like those, too, Kingsley. I’m a big fan of the Frost flavors.”

“I agree. Let’s talk about that game, though. Two interceptions preseason? You must feel on fire. How are you going to keep the pressure on to keep succeeding on and off the field as you prepare for the regular season?”

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