He goes to see Ted and Coach Matthews, leaving me alone with Donovan who I pull into a hug.
“Are you sure you’re still okay with all of this?”
“Yes,” he nods, “I’m ready for everyone to know we’re together.”
“Me too. Though personally I’d rather skip the press conference altogether and get you somewhere alone so I can have my way with you again.”
“That’s really what you want to be thinking about before a million eyes are watching you live?”
“Baby,” I lean down and nip his jaw. “I’m always thinking about you like that.”
“Insatiable jock,” he mutters.
“Only when it comes to you.”
I give him a chaste kiss on the lips, not trusting myself with anything more than that right now.
“Alright everyone, places,” Mindy calls. “Donovan, you’re over here with me.”
We take our seats behind the table; bottles of water sit in front of us, but I’m scared to drink anything in case I spill it on me. It doesn’t take the press long to file in, but I keep my eyes on Donovan, the sight of him here supporting me calms my nerves.
“Welcome everyone,” Coach Matthews says, “we’re going to start today by making a few statements, before opening for questions.”
Flashes from cameras light up the space as he sorts his notes and prepares to speak.
“As head coach for the Warriors, my job is to lead us to win games. It’s not rocket science when you think about it.” Chuckles ripple through the crowd. “But something has been distracting me from that for the last few weeks, and that something is you, the press.
“I care deeply for all of our team members—whether that’s players, practice squad members, coaches—and over this last month, you have invaded the privacy of a young man that I’ve come to respect and admire.
“Throughout his life, all Stephen Choi has wanted to do is play football professionally. He got that opportunity, and I think you’ll agree that he played a blinder of a first pro-game. He scored three touchdowns and helped lead us to victory. But he wasn’t able to celebrate that, because instead, you decided to focus on his personal life. That was a moment in his career that he’ll never be able to get back again.
“I’ve spent a lot of time over the last few weeks talking to Stephen, our wide receiver coach, Ted, and the owner of the Warriors, Rick Winters, about how we were going to navigate this. And I’ve done that because I care about Stephen, and I want what’s best for him, both as a player, but also as a man who is just trying to live his life. But these are discussions that we shouldn’t have needed to have, it was only because of your interference that we had to. Now, I’m going to hand over to Stephen, as he has a statement that he would like to make.”
A few of the reporters are squirming in their seats at his words, we hadn’t been sure if calling them out like this was the best way to start, but Coach was adamant they needed to be taught a lesson and given a taste of their own medicine.
“Thanks, Coach,” I say, clearing my throat and trying to focus on forming words. “After my first game with the Warriors, questions were asked about my sexuality. They blindsided me because they were the last thing I was expecting. Forall of my life, I’ve kept my sexuality private, knowing that it could interfere with my professional football career.”
Camera flashes and shutter clicks fire off, and I have to blink to clear my vision a bit. I glance at the back of the room, Donovan is there, looking strong and nodding his head, behind me every step of the way.
“The truth is, that I do have a boyfriend. And even though my sexuality isn’t anyone else’s business, I’m proud to identify as pansexual, and, well, you can Google it if you don’t know what that means.”
My notes are blurring as my heart races and my mind blanks. I glance over at Marcus who nods and takes over without me even needing to ask.
“The Warriors are behind Stephen one hundred percent.” His voice commands their attention, and it gives me some room to breathe. “We are proud to say that we’re an LGBTQ+ inclusive team, and we hope our fans will continue to support us on our journey to the Super Bowl. We’re lucky to have Stephen as a player, and I consider myself lucky to call him a friend.”
Coach Matthews nods his head in agreement. “We can open to questions now.”
Hands fly up across the room, and he nods to one of them.
“Stephen, what response do you have for the people who outed you on the gossip site?”
“Um…” I say, “well I’m not very happy with them.”
Ted places his hand on my shoulder and whispers, “May I?”
I nod, honestly not knowing how I want to answer that question.
Ted faces the cameras. “There were two individuals involved, one of whom was an acquaintance from Stephen’stime at Winbrook, who we believe acted out of revenge after an altercation between them, where Stephen was protecting someone important to him. And the other, I’m ashamed to say, was a Warrior. As we speak, he is currently being let go from the team and is no longer a part of this organization. I won’t be naming names at this time.”
