After The Snap (32 page)

Chapter Twenty-Nine

Christmas with his parents turned out better than he’d thought it would. His mom and dad still had reservations, and they asked a lot of questions, but before they left San Diego, they told Colby he was more than welcome into the family.

He and Colby didn’t do much other than watch movies on New Year’s Eve. He was still in training mode and couldn’t afford to party all night long. They’d settled into a very comfortable relationship that left him feeling better than he had in his entire life.

The game was out of town, in Denver, so the flight wasn’t bad and they didn’t have to leave too far in advance since they were playing the late game of the day for the NFL and not one that started at eleven-thirty in the morning east coast time. The team had eaten lunch together and spent the early part of the afternoon going over plays before the movie watching began. He was tired and ready for bed when he headed upstairs. The door to his room had just clicked closed when his phone rang. He looked at the display, seeing it was his agent. “Hey, Justin, what can I do for you?”

“I received a call from a guy at FOX who used to work with me. He said Channing is giving an interview and you’re being screwed over.”

“What?” Seth froze as ice filled his veins. “Tell me.”

“That’s all I know. Turn on the TV and find it. They’re about to start the interview.”

Seth’s lungs felt heavy and full of fire. His head spun and he had to reach out and steady himself by placing his hand on the wall. “Fuck.”

“Is there anything else, anything you need to tell me?” Justin asked.

“I let him fuck me in the locker room, but you already knew that.” Seth found the remote for the TV and turned it on. “I sucked his cock a lot. We met at a couple of motels. When I went to spend the weekend with him after New Year’s Day, apparently another guy was already there, Scott, he’s a reporter. He saw us having sex. When I found out Channing was married I dumped him.”

“Okay, it’s coming on,” Justin said.

Seth started flipping through the channels faster. “I haven’t found—oh, there it is.”

Seth didn’t move from the spot he was standing as he watched the camera cut to Channing sitting with his wife, Samantha. Seth’s heart started to pound because he knew this was going to be bad.

The man doing the interview was Blaine, a FOX sports reporter who had interviewed him a few times. Seth’s stomach churned. The guy hated him. Blaine turned to Channing and smiled. “Mr. Harris, Mrs. Harris, thank you for being here.” Blaine faced the camera and the smile on his face disappeared. “Shocking allegations have hit about a beloved quarterback who is anything but the man he pretends to be. Channing, can you tell us from the beginning what happened with Mr. Mercer?”

Seth’s heart stopped and he wasn’t sure if it started beating again. He dropped to the bed and felt like a weight had been placed on his chest. He gasped for air as Channing began speaking.

“The last year that Seth Mercer was on our squad, I was working in my office when Mr. Mercer came in, locked the door and forced me to have sex.”

Blaine leaned forward and gasped like he was shocked. Samantha dabbed her eyes and Blaine reached over and patted her arm. Justin was saying something but Seth couldn’t understand him.

“Go on,” Blaine said.

“Seth—Mr. Mercer, had been flirting with me for weeks, but I ignored him. Then he found me after everyone else had gone home. It was frightening. I mean, I’m strong, but we’re talking about a young man in the prime of his life. He attacked me and I had no choice but to go along.”

Blaine placed his hand on Samantha’s knee. “I know this is hard for you to hear, but how are you holding up?”

Samantha sobbed and her lips turned down in a frown. “We’ve been devastated, but God will win in this. That type of sin isn’t strong enough to go up against God.”

Seth’s phone buzzed in his hand and he looked at it, seeing that he was still on the line with Justin and at that moment his offensive line coach, Maddox, was calling him. “Justin, I need to get this.” Seth clicked over and waited.

“Seth, tell me this isn’t true.”

“Come to my room, bring the rest of the coaching staff. I need to hear what other lies he is saying.” Anger and hate had taken over as he coldly watched the interview where Channing turned it into a pity party for himself. Nothing was said of the rest of the times they were together, just the one time in the locker room which Channing had lied about.

There was a knock on his door and Mercer was there alone. “Team meeting. Come on. Everyone is hearing this.”

Seth nodded and moved into his room, grabbing his keycard and phone. His phone rang and it was his dad. He answered quickly. “Dad, it wasn’t the truth. He lied. I didn’t seduce him, he came into the locker room when I was working out late and he held me against the lockers and fucked me. Honestly, I didn’t know he was still married.”

“Son, your mother and I support you. If you say that’s not what happened, then I believe you.”

“Thank you. I’ve got to go.” Seth hung up as they stepped into the elevator car. Maddox’s brows were lifted as he pushed the button for the second floor.

“But you are gay?” Maddox asked.

“Yeah. My partner and I are getting married this summer.”

Maddox stared at Seth, his mouth hung open. “Wha—you have a partner?”

Seth gave a quick nod and his eyes started to burn as he thought about Colby and how this would effect him. “Yes, sir.”

“And you’re getting married?”

“We are planning on it.”

“Why haven’t I met him?” Maddox asked.

Seth’s gaze jerked to Maddox and he pressed his lips together, giving his head a quick shake. “Are you kidding me?”

“I thought you knew you could trust me?”

“I didn’t want to lose my job.”

“Seth, you have to trust me with everything. That way shit like this can’t happen.”

“What am I going to do?”

The elevator doors opened and he stepped out to four angry coaches scowling at him. “First off, you’re going to tell this group of men the truth. The team will be down here in a few minutes. The mandatory meeting starts in five minutes.”

Seth nodded, then looked each coach in the eye before settling his gaze on Louis, their head coach. “Yes I’m gay.” Slight frowns were the only reaction from the crew. “But what Channing Harris said happened, didn’t go down that way. I’d stayed late working out. He found me. I was naked and he pressed me up against the locker and had sex with me. He told me he was divorced and I believed him.”

Louis held up his hand. “The rest of the team needs to hear this. Let’s go into the room. Half of them are already in there, the other half are probably on these elevators.”

It seemed to take forever for the team to show up. When Will, Wayne, Pete and the rest of the offensive line arrived, they came and sat next to him. Then Wayne stood up and pulled him into a hug, slapping him hard on the back.

“Settle down,” Louis yelled to the group. The men quieted. They’d called everyone in for this meeting, even the trainers and the rest of the support team. “Many of you probably heard the interview.” A murmur went up around the room but Louis slapped the table and everyone grew quiet. “We play an important game tomorrow and don’t have the luxury of waiting to figure this out. Your quarterback is key to us winning. I want all of you to hear from him right now. Seth, the floor is yours.”

Never in his life had he ever been this scared. His first game as the high school quarterback paled in comparison. When he first took to the field at college in front of fifty thousand fans, that was nothing. The NFL, that first game he was called in for was easy compared to this. His knees shook and his hands were freezing. The churn of his stomach was only matched by the spinning of his head.

“Yes, I’m gay.” The guys were restless, some with angry scowls, others had blank looks. Wayne was smiling and giving him the thumbs up. “What my old coach, Channing Harris, said on that interview tonight wasn’t the truth. I was working out late, trying to improve because I knew if I didn’t I wouldn’t find a spot on a team. I’d just finished my shower when he came in and found me. He kissed me and initiated sex. At the time I had never…he was older and I was stupid. I allowed him to play with my emotions and he strung me along in an affair that lasted until I moved here in July for camp. I didn’t know he was married. He’d actually told me he was divorced. I don’t know why he is lying—”

“I do,” one of the big guys who was second string for the defensive line said as he stood. “He wants you off your game.”

“How do we know you’re telling the truth?” another guy shouted out.

Someone at the back of the room stood and cleared his throat. It was Kenny, one of the men on the defensive team. “He’s telling the truth.” The guys turned, shifting in their seats as they stared at Kenny. “One of my close friends on the Redskins told me about his time in Florida. But my friend knew Channing was still married.”

Chatter rose from the guys as some of them shook their head, others were nodding. Bruce, a guy on defense stood, his eyes on the ground. “I was going to go to Florida. Visited and all. I was just seventeen when I met Channing. He kissed me and shoved me to my knees. He made me suck him. I’ve never told anyone else this. It’s the reason I ended up at Alabama. The asshole promised me things like cars and clothes if I’d just let him fuck me. I said no.”

Another man stood, Seth didn’t remember his name. “I was at Florida long before Seth. This is my last year on this team—I’m old and I can’t play another year, but I want a ring so I’m going to tell all of you this now. We need to be united in our support for Seth. He’s gay, so am I. Channing fucked me when I was there. I liked it. Channing can be a nice man when he wants to be, but he’s a douche bag and he gets young men like Seth, and me for that matter, to have sex. If you’re pissed that Seth is gay, then be pissed that I’m gay.”

Two guys at the back of the room stood and lifted their chins. One of them spoke up. “I’m gay too.”

Three more guys stood up and nodded. Wayne jumped up and then turned to the group. “Oh, I ain’t gay, but I support my man, Seth. He’s the best fucking quarterback we’ve ever had. He’s never done nothing funny. Hell the guy doesn’t even look. I look but Seth doesn’t. He’s a good man. Stop this asshole and don’t let him win.”

One of the coaches stepped forward. It was Larry, the special teams coach. “I’m bi and have been in an off again on again relationship with a guy who got on with Florida last year as a defensive coach. He’s been sending me texts through all of this. Apparently Channing Harris was fired because he had sex with an eighteen-year-old kid who didn’t say no but later he said he felt pressured. He’s claiming harassment. The kid’s parents encouraged him to file charges against Harris. Seth didn’t do what Harris said he did. Seth is gay, but so are a lot of guys on this team.”

Two more men stood at the back of the room. Seth’s heart expanded and he no longer felt so alone.

Larry continued speaking. “We are a team and we need to act like a team tomorrow. Who will stand with Seth?”

Guys started standing, some hopping up quickly, others rising to their feet slowly. The biggest guy on the team, Amos, stood up and hollered, “Quiet!”

Everyone turned to stare at Amos. He moved closer to Seth and held out his hand. Seth reached out and Amos lifted Seth’s arm up. “I’m one of the most devout Christians on this team. I’m also the largest man here. I stand with Seth. He’s a good man. If you say one thing against him, you will have to deal with me. You all got that?”

“Hooyah,” was yelled out across the room. More guys got in on the chant inspired by the Navy men who inhabited their town.

Wayne hugged him again, then the rest of the guys on his offensive line came over to hug him. It was weird. He was out. The guys knew he was gay and they were cheering him. Louis lifted his hands and asked everyone to quiet down. It took more than a minute but finally the room was quiet.

“I speak for all of the coaches when I say we stand with Seth. This is a direct order and you won’t disobey it. No one, and I mean no one talks to the press. No one sends a text about this to anyone, even your spouse. Go up, get some sleep, talk to your wife or girlfriend but not about this. We need to have a united front tomorrow. Seth is a good man and now it’s time for all of us to be good men and support him.”

Seth had never felt so close to a group as he felt right then. Louis reached out and shook his hand. Then each of the coaches did the same. He had support and he had the guys standing behind him. Wayne pulled him into a tight hug before popping him on the ass.

“I knew it,” Wayne shouted. “Yeah, I knew it.”

“Can’t fool you,” Seth said.

A few of the guys were leaving but only after they offered their support with a handshake or a hug. Fifteen minutes after the meeting ended only a few people were left in the room. He felt strange, excited, but weary too. Maddox walked him up to his room and shook his hand before saying goodbye. He was alone and exhausted. He dialed Justin but couldn’t get him. Then he called Colby who didn’t answer either.

Seth brushed his teeth and then slid between the sheets. He couldn’t believe that his whole team knew he was gay and they all supported him. If he’d come out without having Channing lie about him, he imagined that some of the guys would have been jerks about it. Channing hadn’t realized what a positive spin his accusations would have.