Anthony #3
Bryan stuck out his hand to shake ours, and we obliged but that shit was tense.
Billy was offering smiles but the sympathetic look on her face was disturbing.
Right now she was in business mode so I wanted her to have the same no bullshit attitude she normally did.
Softness while she was at work was throwing me off.
“And it involves both of us?” Antwan was scanning the room and I did the same, trying to see a tell on anyone’s face. They were all clenched jaws but concerned eyes and the contrast in those two emotions was throwing me.
“Y’all come in and have a seat.”
Stew waved toward two seats at the table but I shook my head.
“We’ll stand. This looks too serious for me to stay seated.” I had to let them know that I might act up in here.
“Whatever y’all break y’all replace.” That was the only thing Parker said and it was odd that he seemed the calmest person in the room.
Choo looked at Parker, and now his face was serious. “It’s that bad?”
“Probably worse.”
“Say, our people good? His family? My girl? Didn’t nothing happen to them, right?”
Choo’s body went rigid, the thought of his family being in trouble never crossed his mind. “Are they?”
Billy waved her hands to calm us down and I relaxed slightly. “If something happened to the family do you think I’d be here this composed? This has nothing to do with the family you chose. It’s your original family.”
Of course it was about Jillana. “What? What the fuck they did now?”
“It’s what they’ve accused y’all of doing.” Bryan’s words hung in the air because it didn’t seem anyone actually wanted to give us all the information.
“They in jail?” Antwan was trying to find the most innocuous reason we were here, but it felt far heavier than that.
“No.”
“Billy, come on now. We got practice and shit we gotta get to. What’s wrong?” Choo’s frustration came out then because he never talked to her like that.
Bryan interjected before Billy could speak. “There’s been accusations made by your parents that you all are betting on games.”
“WHAT?”
Choo’s anger was as loud as his personality but I was stunned silent. I see why they offered us the seat. My legs felt like they were about to give out from beneath me. It felt like déjà vu only I hadn’t done shit this time.
“We didn’t do this.”
I felt the need to clarify that neither of us had done it but I was silently telling them that they hadn’t fucked up by letting me compete.
I wouldn’t bet on games when I could just play in them and earn almost my entire salary from last year weekly.
I wouldn’t risk my people and the name I was building for myself to bet on some fucking games.
“And you’re saying Jill and Antonio’s asses are saying this?”
I felt like Choo was about to hop a flight to New Orleans to find wherever Jill was laying her head.
After she pulled that bullshit with getting a mortgage on the house he’d gotten for her he took her name off of it and put it in a trust. She got put out and ended up in her people’s old house.
Choo paid to fix it up and I fronted the money for the first six months of her bills.
I wasn’t sure about him but I never asked her anything else about how she was living.
I’d barely spoken to her since then unless it was to tell her she couldn’t have more money from me.
“They are. The rumor has already hit Athlete Dirt but the two of you are big-time players. Someone from a more reputable station is going to pick up the story, throw allegedly on there and have tongues wagging.
“‘Twan should be able to weather this storm because although he’s an asshole he’s never been in any trouble.”
“That’s how we talking about your brother, Ant?” He was trying to joke but now wasn’t the time. There were too many people who might be scrutinized because of their association with me if this came out.
“If y’all need to suspend me while it’s investigated I understand.” I stood tall with my shoulders rolled back because I had no problems doing what I had to.
“Suspend you? Who was saying anything about that?” Stew was looking as though I’d insulted him and I probably had.
“I don’t want to be a distraction for the team. I’ll take the loss until we get my name cleared because I promise you I ain’t do this shit.”
“Anthony, we know you didn’t.”
I nodded at Billy appreciating that she had my back but now I was looking around the room at everyone else. “How y’all feeling?”
“Anthony, we know your character. We see it everyday and the hard work you put in to be better. Never doubt we’re coming behind you with everything we've got.” Parker’s face was unreadable but I assumed this was his business face.
“We’re at the point where we’re reaching out to your parents.
Right now we’re waiting to hear on what the league might want us to do. ”
“The league? The fuck they got to do with this?” I wasn’t na?ve but I didn’t think this would need to go past the organization yet. Especially since it was a lie.
“You know they’re going to say something about the integrity of the game.”
“Integrity? When they’re still out here denying them boys the CTE care they need because they don’t want to pay up the additional premium?
How many abusers get to play but they want to talk about integrity?
” I was getting angry again because I knew the league was gone try some shit with us.
They didn’t like Parker’s ass because he didn’t capitulate to their bullshit the way his father used to.
He was too progressive for them and cared about his players.
That kind of independent thought among moneyed men was never appreciated.
“You called us up here for the heads or for something else?”
“Something else. We wanted to get y’all’s input on the statement we’re going to release to the media.” Bobby spoke up and Steph was nodding her head.
“What do we need to say?”
“That the allegations aren’t true and that we’re doing everything we can to find the origin of the rumor. Neither of you are going to allow someone’s bitterness at your success to be a distraction while you’re both having exceptional seasons.”
I was grateful he was here because I would never come up with that on my own.
“Sounds good.” Antwan still looked bothered and Bobby caught it too.
“But?”
“Doesn’t feel like enough.”
“We’re doing this to pre-empt anyone from trying to pick the story up as fact.
They can report on it as a rumor but if they cross the line and declare it as truth then they’re walking into my territory.
” Billy was smiling and Bryan was nodding his head like he wanted somebody to fuck up and accuse us of some shit.
“And if they do?”
“Then we sue the fuck out of them for slander. Between Billy and the legal team, we’ll be able to ensure that more than an apology is had.” Parker had no problem emphasizing the organization was behind us and I had hope for the first time in the last half hour.
“What about Athlete Dirt? ”
The team had plenty of trouble with them because of what had gone down with Money all year and I knew their patience with that blog was about done.
“They’ve hidden it as a blind item but it’s thinly veiled. I’m already working on it.”
Billy’s eyes were dancing like a lioness that scented an injured giraffe. The sympathy on her face had disappeared and she straightened the black pinstripe double-breasted pantsuit like we would adjust our pads before putting in work on the field.
“You’re getting excused from practice today—”
Antwan’s head fell to his chest and I hated they were kicking us out of the facility.
“Coach—” I was ready to plead our cases because being sent away made me feel even worse.
He held up his hand before looking between me and Choo. “Nah. Get your houses in order and warn your people what’s going on. You need to let them know not to talk to the media but also prepare themselves for what could be heading your way.”