Chapter 30
Vee
“Quinten Ledger,” Uncle Darin said, “knows he’s in the running for general manager. I believe he should be given a written offer sooner rather than later.”
My cheeks rose, remembering the meetings last week. The first one was with Quinten, Uncle Darin, Aunt Rachel, Grant, and me. The second one was more private—only Quinten and me. The legal department would be working out the fine print once the official offer was made.
There wouldn’t be an announcement about Royce Beasley’s retirement or Quinten’s promotion until after the Coopers’ season. Nevertheless, Uncle Darin was right. We needed to move.
The reason I called the second meeting was due to my curiosity. As a group, we’d asked the big questions. What was his vision for the Coopers? What did he think needed to be changed in the general management and football operations? What could he bring to the position that was missing?
His answers were good.
I wanted to know something more personal. I wanted to know if his heart was with the Coopers. That wasn’t exactly a question with a canned answer. So, I called him to my office late last Thursday afternoon.
“Vee,” Jen said, “Mr. Ledger is here.”
I gave her a smile. “Please send him in.”
Quinten Ledger completed his undergrad at University of Michigan with a prelaw degree. He put law school off while he played for three years in the league. After completing his rookie contract, Quinten went back to U of M for the next three years and completed his Juris Doctor.
A lot of things have changed in the NFL since Grandpa hired Royce Beasley.
Currently, there was a highly regulated landscape governed by the NFL collective bargaining agreements, salary caps, and player negotiations.
From what Royce said, adding Quinten to our general management team helped bring the Coopers’ front-line negotiations up, especially with his knowledge of law.
Quinten’s first position in football, after law school, was in scouting for Ohio State.
He worked his way up in that department.
Six years ago, Royce hired Quinten as the director of college scouting.
In those six years, he made his way up to assistant general manager.
The Coopers would be fools to let him go.
“Ms. Hubbard,” Quinten said as he stepped into my office.
“Mr. Ledger, thank you for meeting with me.”
He was a handsome Black man in his early forties with a shiny, shaved head and a commanding negotiating presence.
After shaking my hand, he took the chair opposite my desk. “I hope you didn’t call me here to let me know you and the others changed your mind about me, that I’m off your list of candidates.”
I smiled. “Not at all. Once Uncle Darin brought Aunt Rachel and me your curriculum vitae, I wondered why we hadn’t either moved you up sooner or you haven’t been snapped up by another team.”
Mr. Ledger leaned forward. “Royce is old school. I’ve learned a lot under him.”
“Yet you want to make some changes? That’s what you told us yesterday.”
“I do, because we can always do better.” He exhaled.
“Ms. Hubbard, there’s something special here.
Your father, your family, and you are all a part of a complicated structure that works.
Royce has been with the Coopers since the early 2000s.
That’s unheard of in the NFL. I want to continue what he started and work to make it better.
I have my wife and two children. They’re just starting their teens.
The average GM moves teams every three to five years.
I want to stay with the Coopers, stay in Lexington, as long as the arrangement is working for me and for you. ”
It took all my strength to stop tears from flooding my eyes.
This man’s attitude was what Dad and I both wanted for the Coopers.
We spoke for a few more minutes, but I knew my answer was that Quinten Ledger had a heart for this team.
“Vee,” Aunt Rachel asked, “as owner are you satisfied with Quinten Ledger, or do you believe we should extend the search.”
“Uncle Darin had some good names, but I’m satisfied. I think Quinten is our best option from within or without. The coaches and players know him. We need consistency.”
My decision earned me a satisfied nod from Grant.
“Are there any objections?” I asked. When no one responded, I also nodded. “Uncle Darin, please work with legal to draft a mutually satisfying contract. We need to have Quinten signed by the time we accept the Lombardi Trophy.
“We should receive the new IR list by the end of the day,” I went on. “Despite the Bills’ pressure, I’m happy to say we came away with only a few minor injuries. We’ll know more once we get the report.”
Grant straightened his shoulders. “It was good to see Dennison play the entire game.”
If that was a dig at Fin, I wasn’t biting. “He’s our star.”
Others agreed.
I looked down the table. “Uncle Darin or Grant, can you fill us in on this week’s fan activities? Last Friday night’s pregame was a huge success.”
This Friday’s celebration would be even bigger. I promised to work with stadium ops for whatever public relations wanted to plan. We would bring the excitement to the entire city.
It was nearly noon when I adjourned our meeting. This time, it was Uncle Darin who lingered as the others exited the Carroll meeting room. I looked in his direction. “Did you want to talk?”
He waited until we were alone. “I wanted to ask you if you contacted Stephens Security?”
“I did, last night. This morning Virginia Athens, the woman who was assigned to me in Vegas, came to my office.”
“You know, Vee, this kind of publicity wouldn’t be good for the Coopers. We need to keep things positive.”
My lips curled. “Thank you for your concern. I have no plans to make anything public. The last thing I want is to be followed again by reporters.”
Uncle Darin furrowed his forehead. “I am concerned. That’s why I wanted to speak with you privately. Does Ms. Athens think there’s a credible threat?”
“She’s going to get back to me after she does more investigating. Today, she went over to my place to assess my security. She’s also going to follow up with the florist.”
“Florist?” he questioned. “You said notes.”
“The notes came with large bouquets of amber-colored roses.”
“Rachel received amber-colored roses yesterday. They were on our stoop when we got home after the game. There wasn’t a card.”
My pulse kicked up a notch. “No card? How did you know they were for Aunt Rachel?”
Uncle Darin scoffed. “I suppose they could be for me. I’ve never received roses before. Since they were amber-colored, we figured they had something to do with the Coopers’ win.”
I looked at my watch. “I’m sorry. I have a noon meeting back in my office.”
He squeezed my arm. “I’m glad you decided to call Stephens.”
It wasn’t my choice.
Fin’s-in-control.
When I let him be.
I didn’t say that. Instead, I smiled as I gathered my things.
Jen met me as I entered the front office. “Both of your visitors are inside.” She nodded toward my closed office door.
With everything happening, I hadn’t given much thought to this meeting.
Now, as I opened the door, I was struck with overwhelming curiosity.
Both Cammy and Trish were inside, seated at my small conference table.
Our food was on the table in to-go containers as were a pitcher of ice water and one of iced tea.
“Hello.” I set my things on my desk and turned toward the two attorneys. “What is this emergency meeting about?”