bookpower Chapter 633
Chapter 633
Chapter 633: 632 Spread your wings Chapter 633: 632 Spread your wings “Coach Reed,”
Li Wei flashed a smile and stood up as if nothing had happened.
This made Coach Reed sigh inwardly.
The post-game press conference could wait; he walked over to Li Wei and sat down awkwardly beside him.
“Come, sit with me for a while.”
Li Wei was taken aback, “But, the press conference...”
Coach Reed ignored him, “Are you still thinking about the game?”
Li Wei did not immediately reply.
He looked at Reed and then realized that his recent demeanor must have caught the coach’s eyes; so, he sat down again beside the coach.
“Yes.”
“I always can’t help thinking, if I had been a bit faster in that free kick attempt, could I have changed the football’s trajectory?”
“Or maybe, if I could have done something more during the game.
Even though Sherlock keeps blaming himself, honestly, I didn’t perform well in this game, I should take more responsibility...”
A torrent of words halted abruptly at the tip of his tongue.
...
Li Wei turned to look at Reed, showing a bitter smile.
“I know, I understand the logic, I shouldn’t dwell on these details.
Once you start, it never ends, and you might drive yourself mad.
I even advised Sherlock not to take all the blame on his shoulders, but...”
“Coach.”
“I hate failing, really.”
He exhaled deeply, the feeling was too uncomfortable, like a flame continuously churning in his chest, unable to be expelled or swallowed.
Reed had been patiently listening by his side, not rushing to interrupt Li Wei, then he turned to look at him, “Then starting tomorrow, you’ll need to watch the game footage a few more times.”
Incredibly—
Li Wei was stunned; he thought Reed would advise him to learn to let go or offer some profound consolations, but he was completely wrong.
Reed noticed Li Wei’s gaze, his chubby cheeks revealing a smile.
“We can’t change the past, nor can we predict the future.
“I stayed in Philadelphia for thirteen years, and even now, I still consider it my second home, I miss the weather there, the beer, the fans.”
“But the fact is, during those years in Philadelphia, the fans were against me because I couldn’t bring a Super Bowl Championship Trophy to Philadelphia, we had several excellent seasons, and advanced to later stages, but ultimately fell short.”
“Fans were yelling for me to get lost, they even threw stones at my house windows.”
“I am not a coach who only believes in winning, but I must admit we need victories because failure puts us in a difficult situation.
If it was not for Jeffrey’s decision to keep believing in me, I would have lost my job long ago.”
Jeffrey Lurie, the owner of the Philadelphia Eagles.
“So, I loathe failure.”
“That’s why...
we need to watch the game recordings several more times tomorrow.”
A sharp turn in the conversation, just when Li Wei thought Reed might lift the topic to a new level, he was caught off guard with a rejoinder, which made Li Wei burst into laughter.
Reed didn’t say much more, leaning on the staircase trying to stand up; but obviously, it wasn’t an easy thing for him to do.
In the end, it was Li Wei who extended a helping hand, assisting Reed to stand up.
Reed did not continue to watch Li Wei, because he trusted the kid; he just needed some time, and would surely grow into a mighty tree, shouldering a vast sky for the Kansas City Chiefs.
All the anger, the bitterness, the dissatisfaction, all the pain was because of care and passion, eventually transforming into nutrients for growth, waiting for the moment to break free and soar.
Reed was very much looking forward to Li Wei’s future; he wanted to quietly witness it.
So, before entering the press room, Reed had already made up his mind —
No one could hurt his disciple.
No one!
And Reed made sure his words were followed by actions, initiating a series of decisive moves.
This time, Reed got the full support of the Kansas City Chiefs from top to bottom, including the team owner Hunter, who immediately voiced a protest to the league, and also stood firmly behind Li Wei during an interview.
At the same time, the New England Patriots were also taking action, creating a storm of public opinion on social media —
A video that craftily depicted Li Wei issuing threats to the lives of the New England Patriots players circulated quickly across major social media, showing Li Wei with a fierce and fearsome demeanor, and instantly putting him in the eye of the storm, turning him into a universally condemned figure.
The New England region carefully displayed the tip of the iceberg of discrimination, which was magnified tenfold, twentyfold, or even more exaggeratedly online, with a torrent of abuses and curses sweeping over it.
Because of the selective editing of the video, no one saw Mahomes, let alone the full context of the incident.
Li Wei stood alone under the spotlight, attracting all the gunfire and bombardment.
A year after entering the league, the seemingly unstoppable Li Wei faced his first crisis, experiencing for the first time the backfire of what is known as political correctness, exposing slowly the grimy and ugly underbelly hidden behind the league’s glamorous facade.