“You talk a lot about accountability. What about responsibility? There is no disputing that the offensive line fell apart during that second half. How much responsibility do you feel you should carry?”
He flexed his hand along the mic so hard that I was afraid he would crush it. “I’m not throwing my guys under the bus. And I think your wording is a little unfair. These guys battled all year. It never comes down to one position. You are putting that loss on five guys when there are eleven in every snap. So, to answer your question about how much responsibility I take, a lot.”
If there was one button to push, I seemed to be the one who knew where it was. But as one of the few women in this room, I found it a constant reminder that this was considered a “man’s world.” I didn’t get the benefit of sucking up with charm without being taken the wrong way. If I smiled too much, I wasn’t taken seriously. If I pressed too hard, I came across as unlikable.
So, yeah, maybe I was tough on Nate. But he was the face of the franchise. Everyone went easy on him. He was used to people catering to him. I wasn’t one of them.
I made a few notes while he continued answering questions. Before they could move on to the other players, I raised my hand again.
He tilted his head to the side. “Yes, Ms. Hendrix?”
“Looking back and knowing what you know now, would you do anything different?”
His eyes were sharp and assessing. “I’d throw the pass ten yards longer.” Laughter broke out, and you could feel the tension subside. “Seriously. Every decision I make in life is about winning. Unfortunately, that wasn’t my first bad pass, nor will it be my last. We fought hard. It just wasn’t our day.”
I raised my hand, but he cut me off. “I think that’s all for now, sweetheart. We need to move on. Next?”
Sweetheart?
I ground my teeth and forced a polite smile on my face. I had pushed him enough. I didn’t want to agitate him anymore.
“Jaxson,” a reporter from Sports Elite called out to the Hawks’ wide receiver. “How does it feel to be back?”
Jaxson grinned. He was the exact opposite of Nate in every way. He was fun, charismatic, and easy to like. “Feels great and even better knowing I still have a job.”
A couple of laughs echoed through the room.
Another reporter jumped in. “Did you do any training during the off-season, or did you relax?”
“I did a little of both. Spent time on the water. Probably ate too much pizza and drank too many beers.” He grinned while patting his belly.
I shook my head as more laughter rippled across the room.
Darius James, a local reporter, held up his mic. “Do you think you have what it takes to win this season with Sandler as your quarterback?”
Jaxson didn’t even hesitate. “Nate’s locked in. He’s focused. There is no one I trust more than him to get the job done. I thinkI speak for everyone on the team when I say that we’re ready, excited, and hungry for a win.”
Ryder Holbrook, the team’s number one tight end, leaned into the microphone. “You’d better start telling everyone to buy their tickets now, before the prices start going up, because we’re about to make Sundays fun again.”
Every team had players that kept the pressroom fun. For the Hawks’ organization, it was Jaxson and Ryder. They had a talent for breaking the tension with playful jab’s but knew exactly when to dial it back.Their personalities balanced out all the negativity and drama.
The press conference wrapped up quickly after that. Nate walked out of the room with the rest of the team with the same quiet energy he came in with. The reporters all broke out into smaller groups, while some chased down whatever player they could get a last-minute quote from.
I jotted down a few notes and started gathering my things. My friend Ember’s text flashed across my screen.
Ember
Damn woman! That was brutal.
I bit my bottom lip and texted back.
Me
He can handle a few tough questions.
Ember
He looked torn on whether he should kiss you or strangle you.
