Monday afternoon, he called David.
“First off, let me do my disclaimer. I have not personally examined you …”
“No, I get it. I just want to know if it looks like I’m okay or if they’re rushing me back prematurely,” David said to interrupt.
“If I was worried, I would insist that I see you,” Dr.
Ohara said.
“That makes me feel better. I do have another question.
In high school, I bought a cutting-edge football helmet.
Since then, they’ve beta-tested it, and their website says they’ve improved the design. Can I send over a link for this new one?”
“I have ten minutes,” Dr. Ohara said, so David messaged him the two links.
He called David back after a half hour.
“If what they claim on their website is true, I have no doubt that it is the better option. I would be so bold as to say that if you’d been wearing your helmet from high school, you might not have received your concussion,” Dr.
Ohara said.
“Thank you, sir. I’ll order a new one today.”
After he got off the phone, David was disappointed in himself. He wore the Range gear to protect his body, and he’d spent good money on the first helmet because of how it would shield his brain.
He talked to the company rep. The old model had a soft shell, like a car bumper, with a hard layer and energy-absorbing padding. David had dented his old helmet a few times, but the soft bumper layer would pop back into shape.
The new version was engineered to surround the head with a combination of flex panels that worked in tandem with internal liners instead of one solid cone. They had David download an app he used to scan his head. They would build a custom-fit helmet just for him and his position. Quarterbacks needed more vision, and the company promised no helmet lag if he turned his head quickly.
Part of the reason behind his helmet not moving, besides the custom fit, was an anti-rotational kinematic technology.
The under-padding was made from an ultra-dissipative material made from liquid-crystal elastomers.
They promised the helmet would be there tomorrow.
◊◊◊
None of Emily’s fellow pledges wanted to get involved with the police, but Crystal insisted they all report what happened to USC’s Relationship and Sexual Violence Prevention Services (RSVP). They could do it confidentially, which is what the girls did.
◊◊◊
David was walking into the John McKay Center when Tracy came out of nowhere to startle him.
“Gaw! Where were you lurking?”
“I need you to do something for me.”
David gave her a penetrating look because, somehow, he suspected he wasn’t going to like it.
“Okay,” he drawled.
“I want you to start doing your Trojan Inquirer podcast again.”
“I don’t have time,” David said as his shoulders slumped.
“That’s okay. I would do most of it since I would be your cohost, and the Pac-12 Network would also broadcast it.”
‘That explains it,’ David thought. Tracy wanted more TV
time.
“If all I have to do is show up, and it won’t take more than an hour a week, I’ll do it,” David offered.
“You also have to get the guests,” Tracy countered.
“I’ll get half the guests,” David shot back.
“Deal!” Tracy squealed and bounced around like little Carol did when she heard she was getting a cupcake.
Then Tracy added, “You’ll be the first guest. We’ll film it tomorrow so it will air Saturday morning.”
He had a bad feeling that Tracy knew about this before she ambushed him and finally got the nerve to ask. He would have bailed if she weren’t one of his best friends.
“Put it on my calendar,” David said.
He had a personal calendar that he’d set up in high school. He’d been dating four girls, so he gave them access to it to plan dates. David used it for school, football, and the like. Tracy still had access, and she could see when he had a free hour and slot the show in.
She got out her phone and his notified him that he had a new appointment. Tracy ran off before he could object.
David walked into the building, and a team manager told him to go talk to Coach Stackhouse.
Amy gave him a warm smile when he walked in.
“Have you had a chance to calm down?” she asked to goad him for telling her boss that he expected him to be gone soon.
“Yeah, sure. Can I ask you something?” David asked as he flopped down in the chair across from her. “When Coach Merritt gets replaced, will you go to work for your dad?”
She laughed.
“Sorry,” David said. “He asked why I thought it was a good idea for Colt to hold off on his commitment, and I told Coach Merritt my reason without thinking. It wasn’t done to be malicious, and I felt bad as soon as I said it.”
“It’s all good. Coach Merritt knows he’s in the hot seat, but until he’s gone, he’s our head coach.”
“No, I get it. I won’t let my personal feelings get in the way of me doing my job,” David said to make clear he still wasn’t on board with redshirting.
“What did Dr. Liao say? Are you ready for practice?”
Amy asked.
“He did. I got a second opinion, and Dr. Ohara agrees. I asked Dr. Ohara about a helmet like the one I had in high school. It uses a new technology and protects much better than the one I’ve been using. He agreed that I should get a new helmet, so I ordered one, and it’ll be here tomorrow.”
“I’m not sure you can do that. We have a contract to wear Nike gear,” Amy said to push back.
“Look at the safety stats of the new helmet. Dr. Ohara said I might not have even been hurt if I wore this new one,” David pressed.
“I’ll look at this, but I have a feeling the final answer will come way above my pay grade. Maybe Nike has something similar,” Amy said to try to compromise.
“I’m not saying what we use is a bad helmet. It’s just that technology is evolving, and I have to look out for my safety.”
“There are no guarantees, regardless of the gear you wear.”
David gave her a disbelieving look.
“I’m just saying,” Amy said.
“No, I agree, but I will do whatever I have to make sure I stay healthy. I would be very disappointed if the university put corporate sponsorship over player safety.”
Amy sighed.
“I’ll work on it,” she promised.
◊◊◊
David felt good on the practice field today. However, Coach Merritt was in rare form, and it started when Alex came out without his knee pads in his football pants.
“How can we let a guy come out here like that? Go back into the locker room and get your knees covered!”
The latest was Coach chewing on Todd Davis as he dropped back into pass coverage.
“Your hands are back here,” he said, holding hands behind his back. “You might as well stick them up your ass.”
Even Todd chuckled at that outburst.
“Run it again!”
So, they ran it again. Amari Weeks, a wide receiver, let the ball slip between his hands, and it bounced off his helmet for an interception.
“I can’t stand it. Run it again!” Coach Merritt yelled.
Before David could receive the snap, Coach Merritt stopped him.
“I don’t think you guys understand. You think that we won the game with this play. So, why do we have to do this over? And correct it? It’s because it wasn’t right. Once we get it right, we’ll run it again until we can’t get it wrong.