Chapter 20
Rico Briggs
Last Call
Two Months Later
“Damn. This round five. What the fuck going on?” my dad snapped, saying out loud what we all pretty much wanted to say.
It was draft night, and so far, this shit wasn’t working in my favor.
I had confidence, feeling like I was going to be an easy first round draft pick.
After the investigation was over, and I was able to play ball again, I showed my ass off, playing the best that I’ve ever played throughout my college years.
I didn’t have a nigga on my back, making threats, having to play the way that he wanted me to, so I was able to ball out.
Even with me ending the season on a high streak, I remember my coaches telling me that when it was draft day, for me to be prepared not to be a first-round pick because the NFL league could be cutthroat, and they always found themselves trying to make an example out of people.
Coach Tim believed that many teams were going to want to humble me because of the trouble that I’d gotten in last season.
I didn’t think they would do me like this, but here we are, going into round five, and they still hadn’t called me yet.
All my family was with me right now. Seren even flew in from Cali because she didn’t want to miss this big moment.
We were at a luxury hotel on Fort Lauderdale beach, and we’d rented out the hotel conference room.
My mama handled all this shit. She’d gotten in touch with a party decorator, so they set up, and decorated this entire room for tonight’s event.
Full sized football pictures of me were going around the entire room.
All kinds of balloons and shit, photo booths, and a catering company had come out, dropping off food.
Everyone was in here with me, and we were all on pins and needles, waiting for my phone to ring.
My eyes kept cutting over at coach Tim, who was in here with his wife, and he kept pacing back and forth, nervous as well because he wanted this NFL shit for me just like anyone else did in my life.
I was holding my daughter, who had fallen asleep in my arms. Promise was sitting on one of the couches, and just by the way her leg was bouncing up and down, I could tell that she was nervous, just like everyone else.
My mom was sitting on one side of me, and my grandma was on the other.
All the men in my life were standing. This was too much pressure for them, so they couldn’t sit.
Tank was standing behind the couch, and I turned to look back at him, and his hands were on top of his head, stressed out too.
Dionne didn’t come with him because she was eight months pregnant, looking like she was about to pop any day now.
She did send me a long message this morning though, wishing me the best, and just pouring a bunch of positivity into me.
Right when I felt myself about to crash out because I had been sitting here, keeping my cool for hours, my phone started ringing.
It was a number that wasn’t saved to my phone, so I perked up, knowing that this had to be the moment.
I picked the phone up with a smile on my face, lifting it, so that I could show everyone in the room that someone was calling me.
No one screamed because they knew that I needed the silence, but everyone had smiles on their faces, mixed with this eager look in their eyes, where you could tell that they wanted to jump up and down, and go crazy, but for the sake of the silence that I needed, they held back.
“Hi. This is Rico,” my voice was shaking a little bit because even though I was hopeful that this was them, I was still nervous that it might not be.
There was a little bit of silence. Probably for about ten seconds. For a minute, I felt like someone might have been playing on my phone. I quickly found out that that wasn’t the case.
“Rico, what’s up man? This is the New England Patriots. We’re selecting you for our fifth-round pick,” a deep voice came over on the phone.
Almost immediately tears began to fall from my eyes.
Just knowing all the hard work that I’ve put into the game since I was four years old…
it led me to this moment. I took some tough falls last year.
At one point, I had already accepted the fact that my life was over.
I really thought that I would have to sit down and serve time for killing Toby, but I was able to skate my way out of that.
“Thank you, man,” I was finally able to get out, and then I hung the phone up. Everyone was looking at me, ready to hear what I was going to say.
“I’m going to the New England Patriots,” I let everyone know at the same time, and my entire family went crazy.
I was a Patriot’s fan anyways, especially when Tom Brady was playing for them.
I had a journal at home, and it was filled with the top five NFL teams that I wanted to play for, and the Patriots just so happened to be on that list. I wanted out of Miami.
As much as I loved my city, I wanted to get the fuck out of here.
I wanted a new life for myself. I wanted to go somewhere and start a new chapter.
“Let’s go, son! That’s what the fuck I’m talking about!” my dad’s voice cracked, filled with so many emotions at once.
Promise came over, smiling, and cheering me on, but she really came over, so that she could get Romy.
She knew that my family wanted to love on me, so she took Romy, stood off to the side with her, and my pops was the first person I hugged.
He was the man that took me out to the park, hustled to get my football gear, and everything else that I needed to be great.
I didn’t grow up with a silver spoon. My parents bust their asses to provide for Seren and I.
My pops started hustling at one point, and a lot of that money went into investing in football for me.
He made sure that I had the best equipment, and he would hire the best trainers for me because he wanted me to be the greatest. All that shit paid off.
I might not have been a first-round draft pick like I always thought I would be, but I would take the 5th round.
With my fuck ups, and the shit that I’d been through this past year, they could have chosen not to consider me at all.
“Proud of you, son. I’m so fuckin proud of you,” my dad said to me, once he pulled away.
Tears were falling from his eyes, and he didn’t care that it was a room filled with people because he didn’t bother to wipe them away. I made sure that I thanked him in front of everyone for everything that he’s poured into me.
When I was finished, I then went over to my mama, who was crying too.
This woman has sacrificed so much for me as well.
As a grown man, I now understood that that shit wasn’t easy for her when my sister and I were younger, having to navigate through life after her, and my dad divorced, and still having to be the best parent that she could for Seren and I.
God had blessed me with amazing parents, and I made sure to stand here, and give them their flowers in front of everyone.
I went around the room, hugging everyone.
In the end, I found myself in the back, and I was standing next to Tank.
I loved this nigga. Him and I have been through a lot of shit together this past year.
I put him in the middle of shit that didn’t have anything to do with him.
At one point, I was even angry at him because I hated how devoted he was to trying to handle Toby, when I wanted to be the one to handle it myself.
The night of his birthday party, Jax pulled up with his homies, and them niggas were gunning for me.
Tank, and his friends handled that shit, making me leave, so that the league wouldn’t find out about it.
I never had to question my cousin’s love for me.
If anyone wanted what was best for me, I knew that it was him.
“That phone call that you just got, and those two over there, that’s what life is about, man,” he said, lifting his finger, so that he could point at Promise, and Romy.
Romy was up now, and Promise was standing in front of the TV with her, and she was pointing, showing me on the screen because they were on the news, broadcasting that I was now with the Patriots.
Promise was showing Romy her daddy, and Romy was bouncing up and down in her mommy’s arms proud, clapping her little hands.
“Yeah man. I already told her. It’s about timing,” I shared, and he nodded.
“Just remember, out of them millions of hoes that’s about to be on your dick, most of them going to want you because of the contract that your about to sign, or the perks that come with being with you.
I know I wasn’t the biggest fan of Promise in the beginning, but that girl solid.
She a good mama, and even with ya’ll not being together, when all that gambling shit, and that murder charge that you were looking at, shorty was in your corner.
Choose the one that’s real, and you don’t gotta question their motive.
That girl got her own money, so you don’t gotta worry about her trying to come after yours.
Just make smart decisions. That’s all I’m telling you,” he finished, reaching his hand out, so that he could slap hands with me.
“I hear you. I ain’t looking for a relationship right now though.
I plan to lock in with football. This about to be my first season in the NFL.
I gotta give this shit all I got. Promise not looking for a relationship right now, either.
She opening another shop in Atlanta, so she about to be busy too.
If it’s meant to be with us, then it’ll be,” I said, leaving it at that.
He nodded, respecting what I was saying to him.
I continued to stand here, looking around the room, seeing all this love, and support that was here.
I couldn’t wait to make everyone in this room proud. Remember the name…. Rico Briggs. I was about to give the NFL what it’s been missing.