“You’re growing up,” Tami teased me.
“Maybe.”
We talked about school and other safe topics before I mustered the guts to ask about Damion.
“You said Damion watched the game with you,” I said.
“I’ve been helping him since he’s a scholarship kid.”
“Do you remember what happened at the Houston football camp?” I asked.
“He hit on me at first, but I told him what you’d do to him if he pushed it,” Tami giggled.
For some reason, that didn’t make me feel better. She read my expression and changed the topic. From the look she gave me, I didn’t expect I’d enjoy this.
“There’s a video blog you need to see,” Tami said, and then sent me the link.
The title of the blog was, ‘David Dawson—Swagger or Douche?’
I watched the video with Tami, who thought it was funny. If it hadn’t been about me, I would have voted for total douchebag. It showed me in various interviews and my antics on the field as I danced around and taunted other players. The ones that tipped the scale were of me busting a pose in an interview and then the Halloween one. Even though they were done in fun, it’s a different story when a mirror is held up so you can see what others saw.
The blog included a poll, and it was running 82% towards my douchedom. I wondered if that was like a dukedom. Did I get a crown with that? Of course, that thought just highlighted that I’d been acting like a real douche.
“Do I really come off that bad?” I asked.
That made Tami laugh even harder. At least she thought it was funny and hadn’t ripped me a new one. I copied the link and sent it to Frank Ingram, my PR agent. He’d been unequivocal when he returned to LA that if I found anything like this, I needed to send it to him as soon as possible.
Tami could tell I wasn’t happy and told me to call her when I was in a better mood. She knew I wasn’t mad at her. I would have to thank her for pointing it out, as much as that pained me.
I called Todd. He’d seen a sports medicine doctor who worked for the Colts before going home. It looked like a slight tear to his lateral meniscus. They wanted to do surgery to clean it up and help it heal. They told him he could expect three to six months of rehab, and he needed to take it easy until then. All indications were that he would be able to play football at the same level after the recovery.
“Did you get a chance to see the play yet?” I asked.
“No. My parents told me they wanted only positive things around me to help my recovery.”
“You might want to watch it. The kid who hit you was knee-hunting on that play. He tried to take me out, but when I pushed him to get out of his way, he injured you.”
Todd was quiet for a minute. It was one thing to get hurt during a game; that was the risk we took every time we suited up. It was something completely different to know that someone was out to cause injury, and it ended up being your own teammate. Todd had been unlucky, but it pissed me off that his teammate had tried to hurt me.
“I hope you’re wrong, but that might explain why I wasn’t allowed to see the game film,” he said and then changed the subject. “Did you get a chance to talk to Alabama?”
“Only for a moment. Why, do you need me to make a call?” I asked.
“Maybe. My dad talked to their linebacker coach to update him on what the doctor had to say and that I’d be fine by fall practice. He wouldn’t confirm their offer. He didn’t take it away, but I’m worried. Competition for a spot on their team is fierce. They have several linebackers who’d jump at an offer if they wanted them. I’m afraid they may pass on me.”
“I’ll call my guy and see what I can do. If I end up at Alabama, I’d want you on my team. I’d rather not have to face you as an opponent,” I said.
“From the way you took us apart in the second half, I feel the same way. Why don’t you just accept their offer now and get it all over with?”
“Recruiting for them already, are you?”
“I’m not going there to lose.”
Todd was right. Alabama had the tradition, put players into the NFL, and would be in the hunt for National Championships. I agreed to help him and to stay in touch.
I then called Bo Harrington.
“Hey, I just got off the phone with Todd Davis. He said he’s worried you might not stick with your offer. Any truth to that?” I asked.
“Well, hello to you too, David,” Bo said and chuckled. “We did get some good news. I assume you saw my text that Jim Ball accepted our offer.”
“Jim’ll be great for you. As will Todd.”
“I’m not the lead recruiter for Todd Davis, so I don’t know what’s going on with that. Do you know how bad his knee is?” Bo asked.
“The doctors tell him he has a tear in his lateral meniscus and they plan to clean it up with surgery.”
“That’s much better than a repair. Todd should be fine,” Bo said.
Bo would know because he’d been around football long enough to see similar injuries.
“Look, Bo, I wouldn’t be asking if I didn’t believe Todd deserved a spot. I can attest that he hits like a ton of bricks.”
“Can I tell them that your recruitment might be coupled with his?” Bo asked.
I’d done this before when Luke lost his scholarship with State. I was a man of my word, and if I committed, I would go there.
“Bo, I take my commitment seriously. I have to be honest and say I’m not ready to pick where I go to school. But I can say that knowing that both Jim and Todd were on the team would be a huge plus in Alabama’s favor.”
“Alright. Let me look into it. We offered Todd for a reason, and I’ll see if something’s changed. I watched the game; he was the best player on King, and I see why he’s a five-star recruit. Now, when can we schedule a visit? You need to experience what it means to be an Alabama football player.”
“Pick out which game you want me to come see, and I’ll be there. Just remember that I have State Playoff games in November.”
“I’ll let you know what I find out. Go win State, so I have more to brag about.”
◊◊◊
Uncle John and Aunt Bonnie showed up midafternoon. I called Jan and invited her over. I was amused when she came over in record time. She wasn’t exactly happy when I told her she needed to talk to my uncle, but did it because I told her to.
While they did that, I watched the Vikings play a thriller with the Rams, which the Vikings won in overtime. After the game, Uncle John came out to talk to me.
“It’s like I expected. Jan’s father was the one who guided her until he left her and her mom a few years ago. He accepted a job in the Middle East and decided to stay. From what I understand, he was a strong figure in her life, and Jan was very much a daddy’s girl. I think she needs someone to fulfill that role for her. I told her it couldn’t be you,” he said.
“Thanks. I believe Yuri would be the best choice and had them introduce themselves to each other last night. I’ve been trying to change his thinking about girls, but he might be what she needs.”
“Have you talked to him?” Uncle John asked.
“No, not in detail, I haven’t. I gave Yuri the broad brushstrokes because I wouldn’t know what more to tell him.”
“Good. Invite him over. I need to talk to him before we go any further.”
Soon Yuri was over, and I sent him in to talk to my uncle. I was glad that I wasn’t in the middle of all this.
Mom made me make dinner while my uncle was behind closed doors with Jan and Yuri. I was surprised they were both still in there after an hour. I’d marinated steaks with some olive oil, garlic, salt, pepper, and a little rosemary, and I had Dad put them on the grill. Then I made faux potato salad with cauliflower; sautéed mushrooms and onions for the steaks; and blue cheese slaw. Mom had used the bread machine to make whole-wheat bread that would be ready by the time we sat down to eat.