Page 60 of His Hungry Wolf

If he was properly trained and back to where he was when he won us our third Division II title, he would make an NFL team. The question was, how could NFL scouts see him play to recommend him to their teams? If he was still a student, I could invite scouts to games. But, having graduated early, he forfeited his college eligibility.

That was when it hit me. I knew exactly how I could get NFL scouts to see him. And, I knew who could make it happen.

“Oh God, what is it?” Jason said when he answered my call.

“I’ve been thinking about what you said to me. And I would like to apologize again for being such a bad boyfriend to you. Everything you said about me was right. I do have a big hole, and you couldn’t fill it. No one person could.”

“I think it sounds worse when you say it,” Jason said, unmoved by my apology.

“In any case, I’ve decided I’m going to start focusing on the needs of others and not just mine.”

“This is progress,” he said, perking up.

“And, I would like to start by helping you.”

“Really? This ought to be good. Go on.”

“What if I told you that I have an NFL prospect that none of the other scouting agencies know about, but would be the number one draft pick if they did?”

Jason paused.

“This is about the straight boy, isn’t it?”

I winced.

“Yes. But, he is also the best quarterback you will ever see.”

“This hardly sounds like something for me. It sounds a lot like something you want me to do for you,” Jason warned.

“It’s not. Well, it kind of is. But not because I’m going to get something out of it. This guy really is the best quarterback I have ever seen in my life. He’s the reason my father got the job with the Cougars.”

“Wait, is this the guy you would talk about from your university team? The one who would do the trick plays?”

“The trick plays that led to three national titles.”

“Merri, they were Division II titles. Me and the bench at Harvard could win one,” he said dismissively.

“Okay, but he won all the games in front of him. That’s all you can do, right? Beat the teams you’re playing? And he did. Think about what he could have done if he played in Division One.”

“And why wasn’t he in Division One?”

“Because his freshman year was the first time he ever played quarterback.”

“What?”

“Yeah. He tried out for the team as a walk-on and didn’t think to try out for quarterback. He only did because, well, I forced him to.”

“What are his stats?”

“Through the roof.”

“No, Merri. I need his actual stats.”

“If I get them to you, and you like them, would you consider including him in your pre-season player showcase?”

“The showcase is only for college students who weren’t drafted,” Jason said.

“But you help organize it. You could make an exception.”