David decided not to argue and grabbed Duke’s leash.
◊◊◊
David was getting set up in one of the Robert Zemeckis Center’s sound stages for his vodcast, Trojan Inquirer.
“I’m looking for David Dawson.”
David looked towards the door and spotted Marshall. David’s first impression was that he had to thank God he wouldn’t have to face him this season. David remembered his stats said the man was six-four and weighed 300 pounds. David chuckled when he saw he was in a suit and tie.
“Marshall?”
They shook hands. David was surprised when Marshall looked nervous.
“I’m a big fan. My wife asked that I get an autograph.”
“No problem. Which movie is your wife’s favorite? I can sign a poster and send it to her,” David suggested.
“Royal Palm. She was pissed when you died in the end.”
“Yeah, no sequel to that one,” David said and then changed the topic. “This is just a student vodcast. You don’t have to be all dressed up. If you’d prefer, I could get you a USC polo shirt.”
“My agent insists that for any sit-down interviews, I dress up. We’re trying to rehabilitate my image. When I first came into the league, I went a bit wild. I had no idea that my personal image mattered. We’re trying to get some endorsement deals.”
“If you want, we can work what happened into the conversation, and you can talk about the importance of your image. I can make it look as if I’m asking for your advice,” David said and then had an idea. “Better yet, talk to my PR guy. He can give you some strategies and talking points for the interview.”
“That would be helpful. My agent has a bunch of flunkies that claim to know what they’re doing, but they’re used to working with rookies and their fuck-ups.”
“Let me give you Frank’s number and tell him that this is a favor to me. You can relax on the couch while I get everything set up,” David suggested.
◊◊◊
For each episode of Trojan Inquirer, Professor Blum had David focus on gaining experience with a specific aspect of the shoot. Today, David was working with the sound people. The professor pointed out who he needed to talk to and wished him good luck.
David should’ve caught on that something was up because the professor usually sat in on the training sessions. Plus, there was the cryptic ‘good luck’ comment.
He found the ‘sound guy’ and discovered he was a professor at USC. He taught a course that he planned to condense to a thirty-minute lecture. David’s eyes began to glaze over after only five minutes. The man talked in a monotone and was in no mood to answer any questions. If it hadn’t been for David’s catalog modeling work, he would have been taking a nap at the fifteen-minute mark.
“David Dawson. You’re needed on set,” was announced over the sound system.
“That was fascinating,” David said with a straight face as he bolted.
When he walked on stage, he found Duke on the couch with his head in Marshall’s lap, getting his ears rubbed.
“I see you’ve met Duke,” David said, shaking his head.
“Is he yours?” Marshall asked.
“Yep. In fact, he’s famous. Duke was the mayor of my hometown.”
“If it’s okay with you, I wouldn’t mind doing the interview with his help,” Marshall said.
David figured, what the heck? If Cassidy could kick Knackers in the nuts, why not have a dog on set? What was the old Hollywood saying? Never work with children or animals? What could go wrong?
◊◊◊
“With me today is Marshall Davidson, defensive end for the New York Giants. Later today, Marshall will be talking to the USC football team, so I wanted to get a quick interview before that. Welcome back to USC,” David said to kick off the show.
“It’s good to be back on campus. I have some fond memories of going to school here.”
“Tell me about your career at USC,” David said.
“My freshman and sophomore years, I played defensive tackle. They asked me to move to defensive end my junior season.”
“Was changing positions a hard decision?”
“At the time, I wasn’t sure at all that I could manage the transition. I appreciated that my coaches left the choice up to me, but they also helped me see that my pro potential was much better as a defensive end. So I agreed to give it a try. I’m glad it worked out,” Marshall said.
“Speaking of the draft, you were taken at number four overall the year you turned pro. What advice could you give me about the importance of the Pro Day and Combine?”
“Those are just part of a 100-piece puzzle, with Pro Day and the Combine only two of the pieces. Teams will also look at all your game tape … I mean, how significant is a vertical jump in a non-game situation? What does a bench press tell them? The Combine is a show now. The NFL has commercialized just about everything. College football is getting more and more that way as well, especially with NIL just down the road,” Marshall explained.
“Explain to the audience what NIL means,” David said.
“Name, Image, and Likeness. At some point soon, college players are going to be paid for stuff like that. I know that you know this, but I wish I’d been clued in to the importance of my social media when I was in college. Honestly, I might have started building my brand when I was in high school.”
“What advice would you give me? Maybe a personal story?” David prodded.
“When I joined the NFL, it was the first time I’d ever had money, and I went wild. I hit every club, was seen with the hottest women, had to have the fancy car and the hot bachelor pad. Then, in my third year, we were in the divisional championship game. As you know, some words were said,” Marshall said, looking down in embarrassment.
“I hear you. What people don’t realize is that many times it’s the fans who are the worst,” David sympathized.
“Anyway, I lost my shit. I went after Buffalo’s offensive tackle. Somehow, their quarterback, Kegan Mayhew, mouthed off, and I punched him.”
“No shit! That was you?” David asked, and Marshall nodded. “You’re a dick.”
“Now you feel me? Who knew a white boy could bleed that much?” Marshall asked.
“What happened?” David asked.
“I became public enemy number one. I was fined like fifty grand, all my sponsors bailed, and the Giants were talking about cutting me.”
“That had to be a wake-up call. But I know you turned it around because the Giants just put the franchise tag on you. I understand that they offered you a three-year, seventy-million deal,” David said.
“After that wake-up call, I worked on getting my life right. I was lucky enough to marry a truly lovely woman, and we now have two little ones. Boy, kids can make you realize pretty quickly that there are other things that are far more important than yourself,” Marshall shared.
“I know. I have my own horde of ankle-biters.”
Marshall turned out to be a great interview. He acted as a mentor to David and spent the interview telling him what to expect in college and the NFL.
Two pearls of wisdom really stood out. The first was: The most important thing he learned in college wasn’t the material; it was how to solve problems and how to think. And how to come up with his own idea and solution to a problem.
The second resonated with David: You must have the mindset and mental conditioning to be successful.
And Duke … just soaked up Marshall’s loving. David would take that win.
◊◊◊
After the vodcast, David took Marshall to the coaches’ offices. Specifically, David took him to see Coach Farrow.
Rachel was at the outer desk, studying something.
“It’s lucky your dad’s the boss,” David said to announce their presence.
“Bite me … oh, sorry. I didn’t realize …”
“This is Marshall Davidson, and we have an appointment to see your dad,” David said.