All language subtitles for National.Champions.2021.1080p.BluRay.x264-OFT

SPORTSCASTER 1: Get your
popcorn ready, because this is
about to be a good one.

Down here in New Orleans,
you know we know how to party.

And around here, we like
to say... "Laissez les bon
temps rouler."

The wait is over.

A sold-out Superdome
is the stage.

After a year
of partially filled
or empty stadiums,

this should be
absolutely electric.

College football's Snickers
national title game

has finally arrived,
and it is the matchup
of our dreams.

We have the 13-1 Cougars
going against the
undefeated Wolves,

and this is where
legends are made.

SPORTSCASTER 2:
Wolves' quarterback,

the Heisman Trophy winner
LeMarcus James, possibly
the best quarterback,

to come into the NFL
since Patrick Mahomes.

SPORTSCASTER 3:
And do you know who agrees
with me on that? Miami.

'Cause they are poised to take
the number one overall,

and I'm hearing for about
$35 million guaranteed.

Meanwhile, for the
Cougars, we have running
back Cecil Burgess,

aka the "Haitian Hammer."

He's gonna run for,

eh, I don't know, 200
to 400 yards, every game.

That's how he set
the Big 12 all-time
single season rushing record.

But the people
who really build

the college football dynasties
are the coaches.

We are not talking enough
about Wolves' coach,
James Lazor.

Everybody knows the guy
is an elite program builder,

one of the best coaches
we've seen,

but he has never
won the big game.

Monday night is about etching
his name in the history books.

SPORTSCASTER 2:
You have legacies on the line.

You have controversy
surrounding the sport
as a whole.

Monday cannot
get here soon enough

for the college football
national title game.

(SIGHS)

(SIGHS DEEPLY)

(TAPPING SOUNDS)

EMMETT: You hear that?
The popping?

Was that elbow to helmet
with Michigan State's
Will backer.

I ride simple, 68 blasts...
Wham!

Darn thing
ain't been right since.

Lead.

Hmm?

It's 141 lead.

Hmm, I'm pretty sure...
If you are
on the second level,

then you were lead blocking.
Michigan State ran Chicago 53

with a robber in the box.

I mean, no way
you got to the Will backer
on the blast.

Hmm.

It could have been lead.

(SIGHS)

"The path

"of the righteous man
is beset on all sides,

"by the inequities
of the selfish
and the tyranny of evil men.

"Blessed is he who,
in the name of goodwill,

"shepherds the weak through
the Valley of Darkness.
Mmm-hmm.

"For he is his brother's
keeper and the finder
of lost children.

"And I will strike them down
with vengeance
and furious anger,

"those who attempt to poison
and destroy my brothers.

"And you will know
my name is the Lord...
"...my name is the Lord...

"for I lay my fingers
upon thee."
"...lay my finger upon thee."

(IMITATING GUNSHOTS)
(BOTH GROAN)

(GASPS LOUDLY)

(BOTH LAUGHING)

You stupid, man.

That was
an Oscar-worthy performance.

LeMARCUS: Shit.

Oh, shit, old Quentin
sure can write them.

Yeah, he can.

Damn.

Hey, you turn
your location services off?

Yeah.

On the iPad, too.

You can still call
this whole thing off.

Chalk it up
as a research project,

get some grad
credits out of it.

Hell, I think we'd be halfway
to our master's.

Bow your head, man.

God, give us the wisdom
to see the path we must take,

and give us the courage
to brave it.

Make of us a light.

Amen.
Amen.

You getting better at that.

(GASPS SOFTLY)

We're live.

You'd best get
a move on, then.

Coach can become
a heat-seeking missile
looking for you.

Yeah.

I just hope he understands
this ain't about him.

COMMENTATOR ON TV:
Burgess, able to break away
into the secondary...

Breaks another tackle...

Stop right there, Lukey.
Right there. This is what
I'm talking about.

Simple stretch
sweep to 34.

Lukey, zoom on 34.

There. Right ankle dominant,
cut around the left corner.

The best running back
in the country,

is turning the corner
on an inside ankle lead.

Why?

34's left ankle ain't right.
It hasn't been since week 10.

Okay, real quick.

Cecil scores
on this play, right?

Yeah, 80-yard sprint where
he outruns the free safety.

Yeah, against Vanderbilt,
I could outrun
the free safety.

So here's what we do.
If we move Cornelius to the
middle, we pinch in the OLBs,

we got our safeties,
and they can run
support first.

Cornelius will eat his lunch,
and we will shut 34 down
for the night.

I got you.
Boys, booster club dinner.

Five minutes.
Yeah, yeah, they can wait.

No. They cannot wait.

They're the team owners.
You're the guest of honor.

Luke can babysit the film.

Right, baby?
I'll tell you what,
you come back here tonight.

You guys can touch
and you can watch film
all night long, how's that?

72 hours to the national
goddamn title game,

and I got to parade around
in this dog and pony show.

"Heavy is the head that
wears the crown"' my lord.

All right, look,
I gotta go get dressed, man.

Get ready for this
dog and pony show,
as you call it.

Seriously, you're not going
to back me up here at all?

No, I'm not.
I just do your defense.

That's your own offense.
Yeah.

That's your life offense.
Defense right here.

I made these short
and sweet, like you like it.

I suggest you do the same
with your jokes.

My jokes are hilarious
and people love them.

Yeah. Mmm-hmm.

Stop. Personal phone.
Give me the personal phone.

Luke gets the business phone.
Give him the business phone.

Anything comes in,
you know where to find me.

You need to relax.
Let's enjoy the mountaintop.

I'll enjoy the mountaintop
when we are
at the mountaintop.

We're not there yet.
Let's go.

Can we go?
Yes. Okay.

Lukey, set all staff
for 7:00 a.m. Bed check
on time. On time.

Will do.

Bed check. Let's go!

Hey, guys, get
in your room now.

What up, Scotty?
Yo, what up, Orlando?

Is Walton in there, too?
Yeah, he in the bathroom.

All right, well,
get some rest.

Talk to you later, man.
For sure.

Hey, Coach, check them
back there for me.
Sure.

(KNOCKS ON DOOR)

Yo, LJ, Em.
It's Scotty, open up.
MAN: Hurry up, fellas!

Come on, guys, stop playing.
Open up.

(CELL PHONE RINGING)

That's bed check.

Yo, Scotty.
I'm already asleep, man.

Yeah, Sunday's snoring
like an ox.

You hear him?
(SNORING)

He broke his nose
so many times. Once he gets
on his back, I'm screwed.

Yeah, 8:00 a.m. sprints
and above... Got it.

He buy it?
Hell, yeah.

Thank God Snickers
sponsored this game and not
some insurance company.

You hungry?
No.

(BREATHES DEEPLY)

LAZOR: Well,
I'm telling you, I know
they don't have boosters

this good-looking
in the Big 12.

I know the Cougars
don't look this good.

(LAUGHTER)

We have built this program
into a juggernaut.

Two consecutive
conference championships,

two consecutive
playoff berths,
and now, for the first time

in program history,
we are headed to our first
national title game.

(AUDIENCE CHEERING)

All of you in this room,
you have supported,
pushed and prodded,

and sometimes much,
much worse...

(LAUGHTER)

...but I appreciate it.

That's how you grow,

and I appreciate
the opportunity
to have presided over this,

to help young men
become champions,

on and off the football field.

Go, Pack!

(UPBEAT MUSIC PLAYING)

You're seriously
pressing your bet again?

Half a million dollars?

Come on, Rodger, you know me.
It's for the title.

Go big or go home.
And I ain't fucking leaving.

Well, the apple
sure didn't fall far
from the tree with you,

God bless
your daddy's soul.

Old Fred used to like
to bet the house in Vegas.

He just liked
the free drinks.
Well, hear, hear.

Question is, how in the
glorious hell are we gonna
stop Cecil Burgess?

Fastest I've seen
since Herschel. It's me.
I'm flooding the gaps,

bringing Mack
from the strong side,

and feeding Cornelius
raw meat till kickoff.

Or we break in his room
and Tonya Harding
that son of a bitch.

Now, aren't you sweet?

Well, as long as we got
LeMarcus back there firing
bullets, we'll be fine.

Better than fine. Coach,
we was just talking
about LeMarcus.

LeMarcus who? But I'll
tell you what. He was...

He was pretty raw
when we found him,
and obviously, he's developed

into something really,
really special.

Do you think you can
convince him he ain't ready
to jump for another year?

I'm just gonna support
whatever's best for LeMarcus.

TAYLOR: Amen. Coach,
I got a kid in Little Rock,
hell of an arm,

got to show you
some videos of him.
I'd love to see it.

You remember
the bad old days

when we were scraping
the bottom of the barrel,

begging JUCO transfers
with cases of Budweiser
and jobs at the dealership?

LAZOR:
Yeah, all too well.

TAYLOR: And all that changed
once you got LeMarcus.

RODGER: Bullshit.
All that changed when
we got Coach here.

Hey, Coach,
Kevin McDonald.

Hi, Kevin.
Director of Communication
for the CFP.

Good to meet you.
Thanks for everything.
Sure.

We may have a situation.

LeMarcus just tweeted this
earlier tonight.

He says he's boycotting
the game.

Reporters are
already swarming.

We're trying to keep them off
the players' floor.

We'll probably do that till
morning, but this can get
out of hand, fast.

It won't.
Give me 20 minutes.

Guys, I'll see you right back.

(ROCK MUSIC PLAYING)

Hey.

Hi.

A poet at a football game.

Philosopher at
a football game.

(LAUGHS)
Anyway...

You look fantastic.

Scotty, we sure
this is the room?

Yeah, Coach.
Okay.

And they were here
at bed check?

Yeah, they're marked off.
What the fuck
does that mean,

"they're marked off"?
Did somebody see them?

No, but I spoke to LJ
on the phone.

What the fuck,
you ain't seen nobody?
You mark...

You don't do bed check
on the goddamn telephone.

You check the goddamn bed.
For Christ's sake.
God damn it!

Bailey's got my phone.

Your work one.
Yes, thank you.
Jesus Christ.

Man, we're in New Orleans,
walking distance
to the Quarter,

with LeMarcus James,
you might want to actually

check that he's in bed...
When was the last time
did y'all see him?

Come on now. Huh?
When he got off the bus.

Hey, LeMarcus, this is Coach.
Just hit me back here
on the work cell.

Okay? If you're out
and about, no problem.

Just checking in, okay?
We'll see you
for a.m. sprints, man.

God damn it.
There's the guy
with the key, Coach.

I'm sorry.
All right.

LAZOR: LeMarcus, damn it.
God damn it.

What the...

Well, I guess we just knock
on every goddamn door
at the hotel.

We got to find him.
Let's go.

Go, go, go!
Wake everybody up
if you have to.

Shit.

Come on, Cornelius,
open up the door.

Hey!

Fuck, hold on.

What do you want, Coach?

What the fuck
is that smell?

It's Peyton's ass
after Popeye's.
Is there something you need?

Look, have you
seen LeMarcus?

Why the fuck would I know
where he's at?

What's going on?
It's nothing for you
to worry about.

Look, man, just be ready
for sprints in the morning.

Nasty-ass kids.

Yo, Orlando.

How drunk are you, man?
Haven't had a drink
in four months.

Where's your phone?
In the room.

Like you asked.
But what the fuck
is this, LJ?

It's exactly what I said.
I ain't playing
until they pay us.

What? You broke again?
You hurt?

I'm done.

They're here making billions
while the rest of us
make scraps.

Me and you, we can
sell our names. What about
everybody else, huh?

Oh!

Wait, wait, wait.
Hold up, hold up.

So you're going to sit
the national title game

so some punt coverage
Wayne Burnett gets...

A real piece, yeah.

(LAUGHS)

Shit.

LJ, you need to think
about this, bruh.

You and crazy
Bible-Belt Sunday

going to get laughed
out the building,
and if you're lucky, what?

What? You're going to post
some shit on Twitter

and the whole fucking machine
gonna go,

"Okay, okay, we give up,
LeMarcus doesn't want to play.

"Let's just make him happy."

I ain't who you think I am.

So, you ain't the one
who gave us all Rona

after fucking half the campus
during quarantine?

You ain't tested with
your own piss in three years.

All your cash going up
in smoke or to that shit
in your ears.

So you standing on stage
for one protest for
Instagram and pussy,

don't make you Malcolm X,
brother.

Ain't nobody marching
in the streets for
the number one pick.

(SIGHS)

Look, man, you're a great
quarterback, and I'm gonna
keep it 100 with you,

one of the best
I've ever seen,
but this shit...

Uh-uh.

You're going to embarrass
yourself, bruh.

Look, man, you ain't gotta
come with me.

All I'm asking is that
you don't come out against me.

All right. I'll watch
this show as long as you want,

but I ain't getting 100 yards
from here.

Good luck.

I cannot believe that
you are here, you sneak.

You know you love surprises.
I do, I do.

I just... I just wish
you had a seat next to me
at the game.

That's not exactly
the reason I came.
(CHUCKLES) Fine by me.

I'm going to take the job.

Get a break
from the university.

Rome?

Hard to turn down a year
teaching abroad.

Yeah.

Yeah, I get that.
I totally get that.

Just have one little,
tiny little question,
Mr. Poet.

Or is it "philosopher"?
What about us?

We're a hotel room romance.

Well, now you're
just being a dick.

You know what I'm saying.
Fuck you.

Come visit.

"Come visit." Grazie.

I don't know.

Maybe I want more.

(COUGHS)

You all right?
Fucking nerves, man.

Just breathe through it.

You got this.
You're fresh as ever.

Habibi, this is a long way
to Frenchman Street.

Yeah, we like taking
in the sights, Ned.

Okay, your money.

(COUGHING)

We're sure
walking the talk now.
Why, you want out?

Shit, I'm going back
to the farm.

You're the one
who's got everything to lose.

(SIGHS)

Glad we huddled up on that.

Keep it running, Ned.
We may have to dine and dash.

LeMarcus, Cathy Levy.
Nice to meet you.

Yeah, nice to meet you.
This is Emmett.

Are you okay?

Peachy, yeah. Just, uh,
ankle gets a little stiff
if I sit too long.

Thanks for agreeing
to do this.

Are you kidding?
Thanks for calling.

Whenever you're ready,
if you can go ahead
and take a seat.

Holy shit.

Man, you look good
10 stories high.

Just had to put that
in the background, huh?

Here goes nothing.
Go get 'em.

EMMETT: Wait, wait.

CATHY: You ready?
We're recording.

(COUGHS)

"I'm personally asking
all players in Monday's
national title game

"to join me in this protest
and resulting boycott

"in order to demand that
the NCAA and its affiliates

"end their practice of unpaid
labor for the majority
of their workforce,

"a practice which results
in $18.9 billion a year

"in total revenue
for a system, which in turn,

"only spends $3.6 billion
on athletic scholarships."

Where does the other
$15-plus billion go, you ask?

Well, I'll tell you. To an
extremely lucrative oligarchy.

"The president
of the NCAA

"received a salary
of $3.9 million last year.

"The commissioners
of the top five
power conferences

"receive an average salary
of $4 million each year.

"The latest ESPN contract
for TV rights to the
College Football Playoffs

"is $7.3 billion
over the next 12 years."

That's over $600 million
a year for 3 games.

That's the reason
they're expanding
the playoffs to 12 games.

(BREATHES DEEPLY)

My coach, James Lazor,
receives an annual salary
of $5 million,

plus up to a million dollars
in on-the-field bonuses,

including the national title
game. You see, all of
this money

is predicated
on one underlying principle,

free labor.

It is un-American,
it's exploitative,

and it speaks of the darkest
spots in the national soul.

Now it is not enough
for some of us

to be able to use our name
and likeness,

which, make no mistake,
costs them nothing.

So our demands
are as follows.

"One, the creation
of non-revocable,
player-controlled trust

"for every Division 1
varsity athlete.

"Number two.

"The NCAA will form and
contribute to a player's
disability pension

"for Division 1 athletes
who are injured from
college athletics."

Shit.

"And number three,
the NCAA will officially
recognize

"and collectively bargain
with the players' union,

"submitting to all
federally-mandated laws
and guidelines

"of a unionized workforce."

In this, the NCAA will
recognize players
as employees,

and not student athletes.
Thank you.

(EXHALES)

(CLEARS THROAT)

EVERLY: He said
he'd be right over, so...

Got a lot on his plate.

Hey, there he is.

All right.

Come on in, Coach. Thanks
for coming over so quick.

This is Wes Martin
from the Big 12.

He's going to be our enemy
for the next 48 hours.

Kevin McDonald
from the CFP.
We met yesterday.

And Mike Titus, Senior VP,
Championships, D-1 Football.

James, we've actually met.
Yeah, at the Outback Bowl,
two seasons ago.

That's right
You've come a long way.

Looks like you have, too.

Yes, indeed.
Please have a seat.

Real, real mess
we got here.

Well, not really. I just need
to get with LeMarcus
and talk things through.

These kids don't fully
understand what they're doing.

A coach and his quarterback,
no closer bond.

You were a quarterback
yourself back in the day,
am I right?

Coaches are just players
that can't play anymore.

You still don't know
where he is?

What?
Where LeMarcus is.

We're broadcasting this game
in 160 countries.

They're all tuning in to watch
him go against Cecil Burgess.

Boy, I love these
marketing guys.
You know that LeMarcus

and Cecil both play offense,
so they won't be facing off.

I know how
the game works, Coach.

Look, LeMarcus is around.
He's probably
in the hotel somewhere.

I just haven't had a chance
to get with him yet.

Coach, I think it's best
if the NCAA took
the reins here.

We're more of
an impartial jury.
We just want a great game.

Well, I think that's what
all of us want, right?

Yes, it is. That's why
we were hoping

you could shed some light
on this young man, LeMarcus.

What's his character?
He's a good kid.

He's just... Like a lot
of kids his age,

maybe he's a little
too fond of the spotlight
and its perks.

Hell, if I was the best QB
in the country,

I think I'd be bouncing
them out of my apartment
three at a time, huh?

LAZOR: LeMarcus is not a...
He's not a troublemaker.

Okay? I want to be
very clear on this.
LeMarcus is a good person.

He's just a kid
with too much power,

who, I don't know,
had a bad tweet.
And interview.

EVERLY: Okay, well,
you know Coach is
going to right the ship.

He just needs
a little more time, right?

LAZOR: Yeah.
KEVIN: You think
somebody got to him?

"Somebody"?
Like an organized labor rep.

An ACLU lawyer.
Maybe the Russians.

That's a fucking joke,
guys.

Come on, guys.

Look, LeMarcus...
From sixth, seventh grade on,
they're big men on campus.

He and Emmett,
they still think
this is playtime here.

They don't understand
the world stage.

They don't understand
the implications here.

They just asked
to collectively bargain.

They want to destroy
the student athlete
designation,

not the demands of some kids
spitting in the wind.

You're telling me
I don't know my own players?

I'm saying
you might be in denial

about what is actually
happening right now.

Come on, Wes.
That's over the line.

Is it?
Yes, it is.

Coach, what they're asking for
is bigger than football
or one game.

Understood.

It's our entire
amateur athletics program
in the country.

That's 24 sports
for young men and women,
gone.

Hundreds of thousands
of students,

student athletes being denied
a college experience.

KEVIN: We're 40-something
hours to kickoff here, guys.

Need to make sure
everybody's suiting up.

Hasn't been
a single defection
from our side.

It's theirs
that's falling apart.

Hey, nothing's falling apart,
okay? Everybody,
relax a little bit...

Three wide receivers
just tweeted, "We're in."

With the hashtag
that's going viral,

#fixthesystem.

Your other two stars,
Bishop and Cornelius,
could be next.

Orlando Bishop is my one
and only captain.

He's team first.
He's not going anywhere.

And Cornelius, frankly,
can't stand LeMarcus.

He wouldn't follow him
into the Garden of Eden.

He'll play...
One linebacker

ain't plugging this hole.
You're taking on water, fast.

Hey, he got blindsided
just like the rest of us,
all right?

There's no reason
to keep attacking him.

Here's an idea.

Lean on the sophomores
and freshmen who have
something to lose.

They won't want to risk
their eligibility over this.

You'd love that,
wouldn't you, Wes?

We all know I can't field
a competitive team with
a bunch of 18-year-olds,

that haven't played
a meaningful snap since
high school. Fuck that.

I'd rather not field
a team at all.

I'm afraid
that's not an option.

We wouldn't need
any options if I could get
with my quarterback,

instead of sitting around
this circle jerk.

Thanks for coming, Coach.
You bet.

"Thanks for coming down"?
Don't lecture my guy.

Thought you had your
conference under control,
Everly. We got nothing.

We got time.
Time is the one thing
we don't have.

EVERLY: We got a little bit.
We'll be fine.

All right.
The Death Star awaits.

The Cougars are staying
on the 17th floor.

There's a stairway
around the back.

All right,
let's go get this done
and get out of here.

Keep it running, Ned.
We'll be back in 20.

Eat, nigga.

Eat. Watching, pushing.

Nigga, I'm nice. I'm nice.
Watch this bucket
right here. Bucket!

(KNOCKING ON DOOR)
Hold on.

Hey, don't fucking cheat.

Hello, Roc.
Emmett Sunday, Esquire.

You may know me
from such hits as "Last Stand
at the Texas Stadium."

"Destruction
of the Peach Bowl."
It's not funny.

I'm number 82?
Yeah, the tight end.

What the fuck you want?
The one and only.

You mind if I come in
for a second? Thanks.

Not really. Hold on,
you just gonna walk
in my room like that?

Cecil, what's
going on, man?

Emmett Sunday. How you doing?
Hey, bro. Why you turn on
my light like that?

Wait a minute.
I'm just gonna
turn off this TV.

Yo, white boy...
Chill out and let me know

why the fuck you in my room
before I fight you.

Cecil, you mind if I show you
something for a second?

It may help make my case.
All right, man. Go ahead.

He's been replying
real quick.

Hold on.
Yeah. There you go.
Hold on.

Nah, nah, nah, nah, nah.
This way first.

Get the fuck out of here.

I ain't fucking
with you.

Yo, this LeBron, nigga.

That's LeBron.
LeBron DMed these fucks.

That's the king.
Oh, shit, he just said,
"What's up?" to you.

Yeah, he said, "What's up?"
to you 'cause he knows
you're here.

You know how much I love
Lebron. How the fuck you
get LeBron to DM you?

We're buddies, man.
And I was thinking,

Clutch just started a new
football division to rep,

and I was thinking, hell,
maybe I just put in
a good word for you two.

Fly over to LA, the land
of big lips, fake tits
and sunshine.

I love fake titties.
I know. Me, too.

And you sit down with LeBron
and Maverick and have
a conversation.

Lunch with LeBron in LA?
You know I love tacos, nigga.
Hold on, how we do that?

It's a little weird,
but I need your phones.

Our phones?

I just need your phone.

Fuck it.

Hey, it's LeBron. Here.
Come on, give me your phone.

Come on, Cecil. I ain't gonna
do anything weird with it.

Come on, and keep my phone
as collateral.

Collateral and shit.
I'mma pocket this bitch.

Don't move.

Yeah. Yeah.

Bro, LeBron.
LeBron, though.
(EMMETT WHISTLING)

What's happening, fellas?
Surprise, surprise.

Not Lebron.
So what's up? I know
y'all seen it.

Yeah, we seen it.
What y'all think?

Hoping y'all gonna join us.
And skip out
on the title game?

Man, you out
your fucking mind.
ROC: For real.

Yeah, probably.

It's gonna take a little crazy
to get it done, though,
ain't it?

Yeah, but he's Kiper's
number one back, going eight
to Baltimore at the latest.

He ain't risking that
fucking with y'all.

Buffalo should take him
at three.
They're going to tackle.

Maybe Miami gets smart
and takes you at one.

Then where are you
going to go?
Me? Shit.

CFL after this, probably.

Saskatchewan
or some shit like that.
Saskatchewan?

Listen, they're still going to
find a way to play this game
without me and Emmett.

All right, we're going
to need you.

EMMETT: The "Haitian Hammer"
running wild on all those
TV promos,

come watch him put up
500 yards in a single game.

Hell, I'd go to see it.
Yeah, maybe then
he goes number one.

But if he sits, they're gonna
Kaepernick him like you.

Come on, bro. You might
fall out the first round.

Do y'all even know what the
rookie minimum is down there?

Probably not, but they taking
backs in the third or fourth
round nowadays.

Four years and done,
we're back in the hood.

That is why we gotta stick
together on this, fellas.

Think about it. If we all sit,
what are they going to do?

Hmm?

It's called
collective action.

Where the fuck you learn
a big word like that?

Intro to Organized Labor.
(SNIGGERS) A class?

He talking about a class.

Only class you
probably took was Intro
to Organized Dick Sucking.

Flap your gums
'cause you're scared?
Scared of what? You?

Scared you gonna be teaching
high school PE next year.

I know this is my last game,
same as you.

Fuck you. I'm playing
in the lead.

LeMARCUS: Hey, look,
we ain't come here
for all that, all right?

Look, me and E are serious
about this.

We just came here
to let y'all know.
Sleep on it, pray on it.

Look, I appreciate y'all.
Yeah. All right.

No hard feelings.
Yep. No hard feelings.

Collective action.

Man, I hope
we get to play those guys.

Go ahead, Ned.
We don't get Cecil
on board,

we're gonna need
the whole squad
or we ain't playing shit.

We get the younger guys,
Orlando will come, too.

Hey, get Bob Reynolds
a note.

Tell him we'll give him
the exclusive.
Copy that.

I wonder how many of these
we've gone through already.

(CROWD CHEERING)

WOMAN: Orlando, here!

We don't want
nobody to know.
The press or anybody.

They won't even know
that we checked, okay?

All present
and accounted for,
Scotty?

Yes, sir.

LeMarcus James,

for those of you
who are not familiar, he won
the Heisman Trophy this year,

most famous player
in college football.

Picture's a 130 feet tall
across the street,

and now you're telling me,
what, he's the fucking
Invisible Man?

SCOTTY: I mean,
we're working
with hotel security, Coach.

I mean, they went out
a fire exit without a camera.

That's how we lost him.
Well, the media found him,
didn't they?

I don't know.

Maybe I should ask
LeBron James for help, instead
of you simple snowflakes,

who I feed, clothe
and pay six figures a year

or get a free top-tier
education.

This is
a fucking manhunt.

Find me LeMarcus James
and Emmett Sunday, or I swear
to God, the next coaching job

any of you get within shitting
distance of is going to be JV

at the fucking Little Sisters
of the Poor.

Go! Get out there!
Go fucking find him now!

We'll find him, Coach.
God damn it.

God damn.

Fellas, eat up.

Y'all can hate me
all you want.

I ain't the one
y'all should be hating.

Ain't me cashing out
on millions of dollars a year

while y'all can't pay rent,
can't put gas in y'all whips,

if you even have a whip.

For 55 years,

guys like you ate,
drank, fucked
and played ball.

"We're just happy
with a free education"'
right?

Nice free suit. That shit'll
keep us happy, right?

They know how to get us,
but not no more. Okay?

This shit is capitalism
at its finest,

greed at its worst.

Everybody around
that's got private jets

and private chefs,
and we can't even accept
a fucking free meal as a gift.

Yeah! Yeah, that's right.
That pizza slice right there,

double-fisting with them
shits, getting kicked out
of college twice.

Shit. And we're out there
every single day,

blood, sweat and tears.
Remember your ankle,
bro? Hmm?

Remember when it swole up
like a watermelon?
They shot you up,

and they made you play,
didn't they? Huh?

Think about how that shit
gonna make you feel
in 30 years.

You ain't got no medical.
You got insurance?

What you gonna fix
your broken body with,
huh? Duct tape?

Gorilla Glue the shits
back together?

What we gonna do?
That's how y'all got
to be thinking about this.

Where do we want to be
in 30 years from now?

It starts right now.

It starts right here.

Who bought all this Pizza Hut?

LeMARCUS: Look,
I'll be the first to say it.

Lazor's taught me a lot
about more than just football,

but what I began to realize is
I was being brainwashed,

just like all of y'all,
scared of speaking up

because it was easier
to go along to get along.

Hey, don't let them tell you
ain't enough to go around.

They got so much money,

they don't even know
where to put the shits.
Y'all okay with that?

All right.
You okay with that?

Guys, don't think
this isn't a two-way street.

Where do you green fucks

think you'll transfer to
if I bury your ass
on the pine?

I own your future.

Where the hell
is LeMarcus?

Let's be real. There are
12,500 draft-eligible players

for the NFL every single
year, and only 300 of us
get drafted.

That means over 12,000 of us
participate

in a multibillion-dollar
industry that won't even
give us health insurance.

And yet, they selling us
the pearly gates?

Zed, you got a resume?
Internship?

Why not? Because you've been
playing D-1 football for
the last three years, right?

That's right. And they
make you work it

like it's a full-time job,
don't they? That's right.

What about all those bullshit
classes they make you take

to stay on the field, huh?
Hey, you remember
the Swahili shit

y'all was taking? Swahili?

Then how do you say,
"Do you want fries with that?"
in Swahili.

Guess what, fellas?
When y'all get out there

in the real world,
out there in the jungle,

it ain't no fun
when you broke as a joke.

Tell us where he's at.
I'm taking it back.

He at the W,
staying under a fake name.

Okay.
Barack Gambino.

"Barack Gambino"' man?

Seriously?
Bank it.

And even if it means
the death of me,

y'all can say,
"I got caught up

"with that crazy motherfucker
and his dreams of glory.

"And if I can do it,
then we can do it,

"and we can set ourselves up
and future generations

"to come..."
Tell 'em about the barn, LJ.

Because there is a barn
in Galilee

with grain fields so high that
they won't even sell it all.

And you know what God says?
He says, "You poor fools,

"you may think that
you're rich, but you are poor
in the eyes of God."

"Why?

"Because my people are hungry,
and your barn is full."

Make it plain!

There is a barn in Galilee
filled with grain

and we out here starving.

God is with us!

He says,
"There is nothing to lose.

"There is nothing to fear.

"I am here, and there
is nothing to fear!"

(COUNTRY MUSIC PLAYING)

Boo. Boo.

Come with me.

(CHUCKLING)

I plan to, baby.

I mean it.

Start a new chapter.

You really want me there?

I do.

Really?

Beneath the burning sun,
under the sailor's moon

In the rain, and in the snow

On the field, we run

On the field,
we run together

We run together,
We win together

We are the Wolves

We are the pack!

(ALL HOWL)

(CROWD CHEERING)

MAN: Give it up
for French Montana!

You like that?
You like that, baby?
That was for y'all.

(HOWLING)

Keep them coming.

You got it.

Hey, what's your hurry?

Rodger.

Brett.

I've been head
of the booster club
since '98.

You ever seen
a national title game
in your own luxury box, Brett?

No.
Lobster, fillet mignon,
blow...

Whatever
your heart desires.
It sounds awesome.

You wanna come with?
I can get you a ticket.

Are they even gonna play?

Oh, they'll play.
Don't you worry your pretty
little head about that.

Gonna find me my quarterback
and it'll be easy street.

$500.
What does that
get me, Brett?

A room number.

What time do you get off?
(CHUCKLES) Not mine.

(KNOCKING ON DOOR)

RODGER: LeMarcus, Emmett.

It's Rodger and Taylor,
open up.

(KNOCKING CONTINUES)
(SIGHS)

I guess we have
to get another room again.

RODGER: Hey.

Just go get it
before they wake up
the whole hotel, man.

Shut up and get inside.
Easy, big fella.
We come in peace.

How the hell
did you find us?
A happy accident.

What do you want?
Just to talk, that's it.

One minute
and then we're gone.

Hey, you look like hell.

You okay?
We're owed.

You are owed?

Yes. We're owed.
RODGER: Taylor!

What I think my associate
is trying to communicate here
is that we're hurting.

We feel like
we're invested here,

especially after all
we've been through together.

Because you loaned me a car?

And helped refinance
your mother's mortgage

when she fell behind,
and also with your brother.

Should we talk
about the message...
Don't say another word!

And don't do this.

You don't give
a shit about us.

All you give a shit about
is your damn game.

Now, now, now, Taylor.

LeMarcus,
what's going on here?

Me and you are buddies,
you love playing football.

Hell, I love
watching you play football,
an entire college campus,

40,000 kids, thinks that
you're Jesus Christ incarnate.

What's going on?
You need money?

Just tell me where
to send the check.

What the fuck don't you get?

You ever read The Jungle?

What has that got to do
with anything, LeMarcus?

The American dream.

This guy Jurgis
from Lithuania,

he worked at a meat packing
plant in Chicago. Now,
Jurgis was young.

He was bigger, stronger
than the rest of them,

so they put him to work
in the kill beds.

He worked so hard
he couldn't bend
his fingers.

He couldn't flex his knees,
broke his ankle.
After all those years,

he just kept on working,
and he loved it.

See, that didn't mean shit
to the guys who owned
the plant though, did it?

Because they weren't
about to take care
of no broke immigrant.

LeMarcus, you ain't that guy.

You're about to be the
number one pick in the first
round of the NFL Draft,

and Miami is going to pay you

$35 million...
Million, yeah, I know.

And that's a whole
lot of meat.

What about the guys
who ain't going to the league?

The guys who busted
their head in the dirt
for the last four years,

only to wind up
mangled and broke.
What about them, huh?

So, wait, this whole thing's
about you?
It's about everyone, man.

What the fuck do you think
you're going to do?

You can't square off
with the entire system.

You two cannot unionize
college sports,
and that's a fact.

We ain't two.
What?

It ain't just two of us
no more, and that's a fact.

MALCOLM: We have to dismantle
the structure and do something
that's more equitable,

that's fair
for these athletes.

I've got teammates that
I played collegiate ball
with at Ohio State

that suffered some
career-ending injuries,
some life-altering injuries,

um, that struggle and still
struggle today without any
support from the university.

It's very frustrating,
so I'm proud to stand behind

LeMarcus James
and what he's doing.

Wilson, what do you think
of the situation with
LeMarcus James?

Listen, Greeny,
I'm really impressed
by LeMarcus James.

I mean, this guy's given up
possibly $35 million,

maybe the first pick overall,
I mean... The reality is
he's got so much to lose,

but really, so much to gain.

And I think that you and I
both know, Greeny,

that this whole system
is broke and we got to fix it.

It's got to get fixed
immediately.

GREENBERG: There you have it,
directly from one of the
great quarterbacks

in the history
of the NFL, Russell Wilson.

He won the Walter Payton
Man of the Year Award in 2020.

Russell, thank you.
WILSON: Always a pleasure,
Greeny. I'll see you soon.

GREENBERG: In the meantime,
we've got other news
to talk about...

I understand.

Yeah, we all know
what's at stake here.

I will get him
into this game.

You have my personal
guarantee.

Of course. Well, thank you...

Yeah, he hung up on me.

You're up early. What, do you
sleep in that power suit?

Might as well
at this point, right?

Pressure from the overlords?
I'd say my very early
retirement,

is being discussed,
unless I change the optics,
and quick.

And if I go,
so goes your retainer.

Well, we can't let
that happen now, can we?

We offer talks.

We hear their demands.

We promise a committee
to explore.

No.

They've got 40 players now.
I heard.

They think
they can win this.

If we offer talks,
then they'll never leave
the table empty-handed.

They're kids...
Exactly.

They haven't lost enough
to believe that that's
the most likely outcome.

They don't understand
that life is about losing.

I pay you for options.
What are they?
Well, I can only see two.

You either give them
what they want...

Second option?
We savage them.

You find everything,
every grain, every person.

You turn LeMarcus James
into a monster that
no one could follow.

LeMarcus decided to do this.

He waded into your waters.

We have to react.

Unfortunately, I don't have
the luxury to react, Miss Poe.

But you do.

(LEMARCUS COUGHS)

It's started.
What?

They got their hounds loose.

You know
they're gonna dig up more.

CROWD: LJ! LJ! LJ! LJ! LJ!

We're going to have
to move again.

No more running.
Let them come.

Luke?

Yes, every player.

I don't care.

Luke!

On the goddamn roof,
for all I care, 30 minutes.

Bailey, have you seen Luke?

I got nine players
and the cabal of fucking
idiocy around me.

I sent him to the store
for McConnell's ice cream.

Bailey, you can't be doing
that now. This is fucking
serious. LeMarcus...

God damn it! You know what
hurts the most?

He never came to me
with any of this.

After everything
we've been through together.

Are you...
Jesus fucking Christ.

Are you fucking kidding me?

Now?

I got a full-on rebellion
in my locker room.

I got the head of the NCAA
and both conferences
up my ass,

at the national
fucking title game.

Now? You're going to...
Coach, we talked about this.

How can I say this again
in a way that you can get it?

I need to find myself again.

I need some me time.

Not you time, me time.
God damn, you
fucking selfish...

Wow! Finish it. Finish it.

I'm sorry.
I'm sorry, I'm sorry.

I know the sacrifices you've
made for me, of course I do.

But please...

Okay, which place do you
want me to stay away from?

Where you going?
The beach house?

I'm going to Rome.
Rome?

Okay, I can stay away
from Rome.

You're not going to Rome
alone, are you?

Question. If I hadn't stayed
here, explained to you
that I was leaving,

would you have noticed
I'd gone?
I know. I get it.

I get it.
I want to know...

Look, it's this fucking job.

Oh, God.

I swear to God
I will make it up to you.
Okay?

Please.

I swear to God,
I'm gonna make this up to you.

It's just...
James.

We just got to get past
this game. Please.

James...

Bailey, I need you
here with me now, please.

Oh. Um, you want Coach,
he's in the back.

Can you please...
Yeah, sure.

Thank you. Excuse me,
I'm sorry.
Sure. Sure.

Good to meet you.

Coach?

Coach Lazor?

Morning, Coach.
Uh, Katherine Poe.

We met earlier.
Is now okay, sir?

It's kind of urgent.

Everything all right?

If there's anything
I can do...
Just... What do you want?

You have a rebellion
on your hands, sir.

What exactly do you do?

You're with the NCAA?
I'm not. I'm outside counsel.

And your name again?
Katherine.

Katherine, would you mind
just fucking off back
to your C-suite?

This is a private physical
LeMarcus had.

It's from July,
for an insurance policy.

How did you get that?

It's a firm specializing
in medical data acquisition.

And this is an MRI
of LeMarcus's left knee,

which unfortunately
has no cartilage.

He's been hiding it
for five months.

And his body
is a ticking time bomb.

It's only a matter of time
before that knee gives out
on him.

He is never going to be
the number one pick,

not after the combine
and a physical.

He'd be lucky if he got
to go day two, and he's
known that for some time.

I've seen nothing to indicate
he's got a bad knee.

He's 21. He could eat
gunpowder and then
go run a marathon.

Now, look, it's best
if this comes from you,

how disappointed you were
to learn that he's been
hiding this.

Maybe, in retrospect, you did
notice a limp during practice.

Come on, now.
What exactly are you saying?

Five months ago, LeMarcus
figured out he is not going
to be the number one pick.

And he is trying to cash in
now before the teller...

Bullshit.
Yes, sir, before the teller
window closes forever.

LeMarcus would never...

This is a shakedown, sir!
Pure and simple.

He is trying to recoup
his losses, and he is going
to take everything

that you and your players
have worked for.

Let me ask you, sir,
how does a D-3 quarterback
with a noodle for an arm,

who runs a 5-flat 40 time...

How does a guy like that
become the head coach

of not one,
but two D-1 powerhouses?

Because that guy is a winner,

and this is your time
to finally capture
that national title.

Do not let LeMarcus
rob you of your legacy.

Now we will leak this
to the smaller sites.

You will do a presser
for the networks,

and the aggregators
will take it from there.

I have some remarks
if you want to take
a look at...

No, thank you, I don't need
your fucking remarks.

This is my football team.

They will play for me.

Coach,

wake up before
you don't even have a team.

(EXHALES)

I know right now you think
life is always going
to be like this.

You're at the center
of everything alive,

and greatness is right there
within reach.

But that's not true.

This may very well be
your only fleeting moment

at the top of the mountain.

Look at me. I'm 60 years old.
I look like I'm 80.

I feel like I'm 100.

I got a wife that hates me.

Well, she just left, actually.

I got a cock that doesn't work
without a fucking pill.

My best buddy, since we were
little knuckleheads playing
pee-wee football...

My best friend Clint just died
of blood cancer,
just like that.

Forty years ago, I was you.

I was you, men.

Magnificent. Quarterback
of my little college
in North Dakota.

I had dreams,

and I had the energy
to chase them,

and now,
(SNAPS FINGERS)

I got one thing left,
one thing in my life

that means a damn to me.

You men,

this room,

this is all I got.

And that's okay.

Believe me,
this is all I need.

Well, some of you
are looking at me like,
"Well, bullshit, Coach.

"Come on now.
You've got money.

"You're fucking rich."

Yeah, I got money
I couldn't even conceive of
when I was you men.

Believe me when
I tell you this, money

is shit.

Money is a numbers game played
by people in $5,000 suits

in New York City offices,
for their own benefit.

There is no glory in money.

No life-altering
challenge in money.

There is no confrontation
with your deepest fears,

and therefore, your greatness,
in fucking money.

Oh, my God, what I wouldn't
give to be you men right now.

One day away
from glorious battle

alongside your
band of brothers,

in front of 100 million people
all over the world.

Glory.

The greatest glory
you are ever going to feel.

You want to give that up?

For those of you who were
thinking about boycotting,

you've made your point.

They are going
to have to change.

'Cause they heard you.

They are scared shitless.
It's beautiful.

It's fucking hilarious.
Change is coming,

meaningful change.

Trust me on that.

Every one of you has worked
your whole fucking life
for this moment.

Don't rob yourselves
of your destiny.

Glory is at hand.

Glory

is yours.

Glory is ours!

Glory...

Take it.

(ALL APPLAUDING)

KATHERINE: I heard
it was a great speech.

Now, let's prove to them
that LeMarcus is only doing
this for his own benefit,

so you have
enough players

not only to play
this thing, but to win.

Do you need
a minute, Coach?

You know,
collect yourself, okay...

Let's get it over with.

Right.

One miner's
breakfast.
(GLASS THUDS)

Breakfast of champions.

(COUGHS)

TV PRESENTER:
...I'll tell you,
ice in his veins.

Now I understand we have
some late breaking news.

Yes, we're going
to a live press conference

with Wolves' head coach,
James Lazor.

MAN ON TV: Coach Lazor,
when did you first notice

LeMarcus James' knee?

(SIGHS)

Well, I had noticed
a slight limp
after week three,

but I just
chalked it up to,

you know, the usual
bumps and bruises.

So I was disappointed
when I found out

that he'd been concealing
something more serious.

I can't believe the Coach
is doing this to you.

WOMAN 1: Do you think
he concealed his injury

to protect his draft status?

LAZOR: I don't know.
He's going to have to pass

a very thorough physical
before the draft,

so I don't...
Found that MRI quick.
Their man's good.

WOMAN 2: Do you feel
he was manipulating

his teammates to cash in
on the national title game?

I guess you'd have to ask
his teammates that.

Coach, do you feel
that this is a further example

of a form of
modern-day slave trade?

I'm sorry. I guess
I don't understand
that question.

The physical, like
inspecting a slave's teeth
to determine the price,

only now it's his knees.

Well, if you call getting
a free top-tier education

and four years of first class
accommodations and nutrition,

not to mention
a sizable living stipend,
and then toss in

a once-in-a-lifetime
opportunity to play
in a national title game...

If we're calling that
the slave trade,

then I'd love to be a slave.

(OVERLAPPING CHATTER)
Um...

That's the last question.

Well, that already went viral.

(SCOFFS)

(OVERLAPPING CHATTER ON TV)

Call Greeny.

Tell him
we're going live.

Just blast it
all over Twitter, too.

GREENBERG:
I am joined now
by LeMarcus James,

who won this year's
Heisman Trophy

and has now rocked
the entire world of sports
and well beyond,

with his boycott
of the national title game

which is scheduled
for tomorrow in New Orleans.

LeMarcus, I'm going to jump
right into the question
everyone is asking.

Are you boycotting this game
and demanding compensation

because of an unfortunate
medical condition

that could jeopardize
your status in the draft?

Good morning, Greeny.

The answer is no,
unequivocally, no.

I have no cartilage
in my left knee.

It'll degenerate over time.

Maybe 8 years,
maybe 20.

But name me an NFL team
that wouldn't take

8 to 20 years
of elite quarterback play.

You see, the reality is,
this isn't about me.

This is about
our current system.

This is about my fellow
D-1 athletes and teammates
who have fallen victim to,

quite frankly, a
plantation mentality.

GREENBERG: I want to talk
about that mentality.

That's fucking rich,

because clearly that is
at the center of this
entire conversation.

Your coach, just today,
said this is a system
he'd love to be a part of

and even invoked
the tragic word "slavery."

I have to ask you,

do you feel
this is a slave trade
of a different kind?

LeMARCUS: Can I give you
another comparison, Greeny?

GREENBERG: Yeah, of course.

This is the home
of my best friend
and teammate, Emmett Sunday.

Emmett's father is a farmer
outside Lincoln, Nebraska,

and his mother is
a teacher's assistant.

Now they've saved up
a little bit for retirement,

but mostly, they just
live month to month.

One swollen appendix,

one turned ankle
from insolvency.

Now, their son, Emmett Sunday,
has been a four-year starter

for one of the best college
programs in the country.

Tomorrow, he'll play
in a game that'll gross
over a half a billion dollars.

Half a billion dollars
for a single game,

and Emmett won't see a dime.

His football days
will be over,

zero compensation,

zero medical insurance
for all the injuries
he sustained,

some of them permanent.

And now this is the
Palm Beach vacation home

for my coach,
James Lazor.

This is his Chicago penthouse.

This is his six-bedroom
Craftsman, where he stays
during the season,

his work home.

Now Coach has profited
off this system

that is entirely based
on free labor.

We're not playing in any games

until those who actually play,
and not just the superstars,

I mean, all athletes,
down to the special teams...

Jesus.

...are considered
and compensated. Now.

This crazy motherfucker.
(CHUCKLES)

There you have it,
directly from LeMarcus James.

LeMarcus,
thank you very much.
All right, LeMarcus.

I appreciate the time.

We'll take a short break,
be back with more
in just a moment.

What the calamitous fuck?

We've been goddamn
outflanked by two kids.

Like we're in
Scooby fucking Doo!

You know what the
dipshit sidekick did

when LeMarcus was
grandstanding on TV?

KATHERINE: Sunday.
Huh?

His name is
Emmett Sunday.

Oh, thank God
we got that
all cleared up.

Emmett "fucking us sideways"
Sunday leaks my Nike contract.

Now every New York City

zigzag's asking me where
$30 million a year goes.

KATHERINE: Where does it go?
How the hell do I know?

You're the head
of the conference.
Excuse me?

You're the head
of your conference.

You should be able to
answer a lay-up like where
your sneaker money goes.

Okay.

Band fields,
softball stadiums.

Turquoise-green
Bermuda fucking sod.

Where else?
Orlando Bishop just
tweeted this.

He's out.
Well, that's cute.

We got four players
threatening to walk now, too.

How the hell are these two
even doing this?

I still think Coach Lazor's
the one to talk LeMarcus
off this ledge.

He walks him back,
they'll all follow.

Where's your coach now?
He's taking a minute.

He's tanking.
He's fine.

TITUS: What does he need?
A divorce lawyer.

(SCOFFS)
He's fine, I said.

Lazor or no Lazor,

we're putting two teams
on the field tomorrow,

even if we gotta dress
the damn cheerleaders.

Who's second in line
if Lazor can't go?
I guess...

Ronnie Dunn,
defensive coordinator.
Do you trust him?

Yeah, a company man.

Been at the university
since a player himself,

so, yeah, he'll take
marching orders.

You sure?
This a fucking inquisition?

I don't trust anyone
with a vested pension
and Medicare.

Oh, God, you know what?
Fuck you very much.

All right? I need this shit
like I need a third tit.

I will march
my entire conference
right out that door,

put together my own playoffs
without any of you.

How do you like me?

You'd be in breach of
16 different contracts.

Squander a $100-million
payday for tomorrow alone.

Not to mention what I imagine
would be a full audit
of SEC expenses

under your tenure, you know,
to make sure that those band
fields, softball stadiums

and turquoise green
Bermuda sod
weren't really just

high-paid escorts
in New York City

at the Bemelmans Bar
of the Carlyle.

Bouncing them
out of your apartment

three at a time,
right?

Fuck you.

(CHUCKLES)

Hoo!

ANNOUNCER: We're still 24
hours away from the Snickers
national title game.

Only the biggest...
MAN: Man, these guys
are already getting

free education.
Money is just gonna ruin it.

They aren't ready
for all that money.
I wasn't...

WOMAN: Look, I don't know
if this man is a racist,

but what I do know
is that he made a fortune

mostly off the backs
of young Black men.

BAILEY: Question.

If I hadn't stayed here,
explained to you

that I was leaving, would you
have noticed I'd gone?

(PANTING)

Coach! Coach Lazor!

WOMAN: Oh, my God.
Look, it's Coach Lazor.

(OVERLAPPING CHATTER)

Sorry, buddy.
It's really not
a good time, okay?

Not now!

Not now!

Hey, give him some space.
No pictures! No pictures!

Have a good game, Coach.

EVERLY: Now, I know
for a fact that LeMarcus
and the guys,

they respect
the hell out of you

and you would be the first
African-American head coach

to lead a team onto the field
for a national title game.

Hell, hopefully
win the thing, huh?

Let's make history together.

NEWSCASTER: The NCAA may have
started with this imaginary
pie-in-the-sky idea

that it was about amateurism.
And at one point, it was.

But then, there was a turn.

And it became about money,
plain and simple.
(KNOCK ON DOOR)

And I thought
this was America.
I thought...

Yeah?
DUNN: Ronnie Dunn.

EMMETT: You all
by your lonesome?
(GROANS)

DUNN: Just me.

Coach.
(DOOR CLOSES)

You two are really
hard to find.

It's easier to find Bigfoot
than to find you two.

Look, relax.
I won't tell Lazor.

You know something?
I gotta give credit
to you two, actually.

I'm really surprised
you was able to pull this off.

But you got trouble.

Yep. They're still
gonna play the game.

The 19 freshmen?
Cornelius?

They don't care who plays
as long as it's on TV.

The Shit Bowl.

DUNN: They shitting
their pants right now.

They finally got so desperate
where they approached me

and said if Lazor doesn't
show up, I can bring the team
out to the field.

So Coach is sitting?
I don't know, man.

It's really hard
to tell right now,
but it looks like it.

Damn.

So what you gonna do?

The first Black head coach
in a national title game?

It's a big deal.

I ain't no fucking pawn.
Hell, no, I'm not doing it.

I'm one of the best official
coaches in this country.

I don't need no
fucking handouts.

Amen, Coach.

I mean, we feel
the same way.

Even if this whole thing
goes up in a ball of flames,

we're not stepping
on that field.

Look, y'all. Have I ever told
you the Hannibal Lawson story?

Who?
Hannibal Lawson.

So Han Lawson, to me,
was one of the best
defensive tackles

in Louisiana
high school history.

He went on to LSU.
Bright future, got his knees
shredded in practice.

And the result of that,
they took his
scholarship away.

But Hannibal did something
interesting, all right?

He hired a lawyer
in a cheap suit with
some night school degree,

and he sued the NCAA
for workmen's comp.

Smart, right?
Yeah.

Went all the way
to Louisiana Supreme Court.

EMMETT: What happened?

Student athlete.

Yeah, they said
he was nothing
but a student athlete.

They didn't consider him
an employee,

even though they were selling
hundreds and thousands
of tickets

every fucking Saturday,
making millions of dollars.

You're breaking your body
every fucking practice
and every game.

And whenever they decide
to take the scholarship
away from you,

they can, whenever the fuck
they feel like it.

That's a crazy, sick system.

Maybe you two will change it.
I don't know.

But I want y'all
to understand something,

there's a lot of
Hannibal Lawsons out here.

Survival of the fittest.

America.

This little pigskin football
right here holds a lot
of weight to it.

It's more than a game.
It's a fucking business.

Hey, Coach,

thank you.

Good luck, fellas.

(COUGHS)

We're going to need
Cecil on board.

We both don't play,
the advertisers start
pulling out.

It's the only way.

RODGER: Take a little more
of the edge off.

Gotta let it out.

If you don't, it just stays
inside you, becomes poison.

Okay, what's the plan?
Damn it.

I can't even focus
on that right now.

Well, you got to.
You got to bifurcate.

Well, I don't know what
that means, but I think
I get the gist of it.

About to lose 500,000
'cause of LeMarcus.
RODGER: Taylor.

He fucked us.
Put the phone down.

He fucked us.
Put the phone down.

Coach, I know you don't want
to hear this right now.

I've been married
three times myself,
but the hurt goes away.

Poof.

One day, just like that, gone.

I'm telling you,
Bailey is my one and only,
and she's gone.

And it's my own goddamn fault.
TAYLOR: Coach,
no offense at all.

Your love life, that's your
thing, your racial views,
that's your thing.

But we have a national title
in less than 24 hours.

We need to focus on that.

Can you please just focus...
Fucking racial views...

First of all, one goddamn
reporter baits me into saying
something stupid.

I know you're not racist.

I'm just saying we got
the game to focus on. Okay?

That's all I'm saying.
What fucking game?

I don't have a goddamn team.
Less than 24 hours.

I'm supposed to walk out of
that tunnel with freshmen...

Nobody's asking...
...go in there and
get our ass kicked?

Nobody's asking you.

That's not competition.
That's a fucking slaughter.

You gotta
figure it out.
I'm doing what I can.

You gotta do better, Coach.
You're on a contract.

Fuck that contract.

Are you talking to me
about the fucking contract
right now?

I can walk across
the street tomorrow

and get another contract
if they find me in breach.

I don't give a shit. I don't
need the goddamn money anyway.

Coach, you're
hurting right now.

Let's just give it
a hour or two.

See the state of play,
it's best not to make any
decisions feeling this way.

I'll tell you what, it's the
ones that are closest to us
that hurt us the most.

(LIVELY MUSIC PLAYING)

You as good as
they say you are?

To which of my many talents
are you referring?

There was a fight that no one
knows about, a real brawl.

Kid got hurt bad.

I'll alert
the authorities.
Oh, they know.

He's blind in one eye now
and got a hole in his skull.

But money talks
and NDAs don't.

I'm listening.

LeMarcus.

(SPEAKING ITALIAN)

Crap, I think I just called
you "my pistachio."

Your phone sucks.
Is mine in there?

It is here.

You just got a text from a guy
named Mike Titus.

What?

Crap. I just must have grabbed
James's personal again
by accident.

Can you bring it to me,
mi pistachio?

He's probably going
ape shit right now.

After everything we've done
for LeMarcus,

every single one of those kids
are spoiled brats.

Spoiled fricking brats.

Geez.

Oh, I cannot wait
to go to Rome.

There's this one place
that I want to eat at,

and they still have
the bullet holes in the walls
from the war.

Do you see this?

Do you see this? Probably not,
because your phone stinks.

What?

I've been helping LeMarcus.

What?
You know,
with his boycott.

That's why
I'm here.
I don't get it.

He came to me
after class and...

What was I gonna do?

Be another tenured
paper tiger?

Teaching organized labor
five days a week,

then hide behind my desk
when one of my own students

actually wants to do
something about it?

So I helped him
with his strategy

any way I could.

It's funny,
LeMarcus knew the rumors

about us, like everybody else.

Except your husband,
of course.

And you calling LeMarcus
a spoiled brat,

especially when
he has so much to lose.

Maybe you're more a part
of the system than you think.

Get out.

Get the fuck
out of here. (CRIES)

Leave!

(SOFTLY) Fuck me.

(CRYING)

(KNOCKING ON DOOR)

(SIGHS)

Oh. Sorry, I think we got
the wrong room.
No, this room is Cecil's.

Come in, we don't have
a lot of time.

My name's Katherine Poe.
I come bearing gifts.

You need my phone?

You look rough.

Just a cold.

Where's Cecil?

They're in a suite
10 floors up, playing 2K.

No, wait, you haven't even
heard my offer yet.

It is a pretty good offer,
a lot of wonderful things,

and a lot of meat
on the bone.

Okay, what you got?
(SIGHS)

I send the best concierge
doctor in New Orleans,
Dr. Eric, to your room.

Gives you an IV, a Z-Pak.

You get plenty of rest.

You and your team
play the game...

and you go number one
overall in April,

all your dreams come true.

And?

I will personally make sure
that the NCAA forms
an exploratory committee

to fully monetize
amateur athletics.

Exploratory committee?
Yeah, that's going
to be a pass.

No, wait.

You haven't heard
the cherry on top.

The best part is
you don't go to jail.

For boycotting
a football game?

For the attempted murder
of Casey Walton.

Wow. Wow!

For the last 48 hours,

you guys have been trying
to destroy this man,

and what, you lay on
an outright assassination?

For what, money?
Casey Walton is blind
in one eye.

He has a crack in his skull,
and he hasn't walked the same

ever since that fight outside
of the Gin Mill Bar and Grill.

So I spoke to his mother.

And she jumped at the idea
of being able to...
It's bullshit.

It's not bullshit!

She jumped at the idea
of being able to throw out

that NDA and burn that 100K
that was used to buy them off,

if it meant that she could
find the guys who hurt her son
and get paid again.

You don't know
what you're doing.
Hey, don't.

She ain't got nothing.

Let's get out of here.

I got Reggie.

Your half-brother.

So you spoke to him?

Haven't found him yet.

When I do, I promise you,
I am going to piece together

what exactly happened
that night.

LeMarcus, wake up.

How do you think it is
going to look when
someone like Reggie,

who has two felony
possession charges

and assault
and battery shows up

in front of an all-white jury
in Missouri with attempted
murder charges to a guy

who is permanently injured?

One look at that jack
and I'd be able to know
that he was the one

that kicked Casey's ass.

But guess what?

This is America.

Nobody cares
about your brother.

Nobody.

The only one they were
able to spot that night,

in that melee,
was one LeMarcus James,
star quarterback.

And so the state police
picked you up
and hit you with charges.

But some deep-pocketed
booster, who I think I just
fucking met, stepped in

and paid off Casey
and his family,

because that's what we do
in big football, right?

You protect the phenom

when he has a chance to
bring home that national title
this year.

Sound about right?

I suggest you let Dr. Eric
patch you up tonight

and then we do a joint press
conference in the morning.

All the head honchos up
in the penthouse, heads bowed,

agreeing that,
yes, there is a problem.

And then you play, you win,

and you get to take
that victory lap you have been
dreaming about since...

Since you stood
on the sidelines

watching your big brother
in North Virginia,

and then change does come,
because of you, eventually.

And that is something
you both can be proud of.

I got a question.

Are you completely
fucking heartless,
or just a little bit?

Oh, my God.
How do you
live with yourself?

Honestly,
how do you live...
I'm not heartless!

You do not know me!

You think I don't know
your struggle?

You think I don't know
what you have come from?

That I haven't been there?

You think I don't know
what it's like to be without
heat in your house?

That I don't know
what it's like to not be able
to afford your jersey,

and you are
avoiding your coach,

because you don't have
the $50 to pay for it?

I ran track at Duke, okay?

Full ride.

No big medals, no big wins.

But I took that money
because it was the only way

I was going to run myself
out of that Red Hook project.

You think you know me?

You don't know me.

I had to fight,
and climb, and crawl

to be here because
I did the work.

The NCAA spends $3.6 billion

on student athlete
scholarships for kids like me,
like you and like you.

So that we can get a leg up.

And what happens
to all of that

when they start
paying you? Hmm?

What happens to
volleyball in Minnesota,

to soccer in Idaho,
to softball in South Carolina?

What happens to all
of those other sports

that are not men's football
and basketball?

You out here fighting, and you
forgot who you fighting for.

You know, but...
(CLEARS THROAT)

(EXHALES)

Hey, what do I know?

I'm heartless.

(DOOR OPENS)

(DOOR CLOSES)

STEVE ON TV: Hi, everybody,
and good morning
from the Big Easy.

I'm Steve Levy.

We are some 12 hours away
from tonight's Snickers
national title game.

Now I'm being told
that a midnight deal

may have been brokered
with LeMarcus James.

Details still remain
a little bit sketchy,

but there's a news conference
scheduled for a couple
hours from now.

My sources tell me
that both teams

could be at full
strength tonight,

and that includes James.

You know what else that means?

Strike up the band,
fire up that old grill.

We're going to have some great
football action for you...

The 13-1 Cougars
against the undefeated Wolves,

the two best players
in the country. Or will it?

Even with the rumors
of a late-night deal
with LeMarcus James,

many odds makers still doubt
he will actually play tonight.

So the question is,
can James Lazor's Wolves

win without their
star quarterback?

I'm not so sure.

Well, yeah. He and LeMarcus
have the same mother.

Well, they both
grew up in Virginia.

Reggie, he played
JUCO football,

but that fizzled out
after they cut him

for having
too many concussions.

I would start with
the state prisons.

I mean, even try
mental health facilities.

We need to do
a social media backdoor, too.

I doubt that
he even has an account,

but we have got to find him.
(KNOCK ON DOOR)

He is our pressure point.

Oh. Coach.

I got your message.

This thing
we're toying with,

it's Pandora's box,
you know.

I know.

Nobody gets hurt.

Nobody goes to jail.

We just play this game.
That's what we all want.

(COUGHING)

Dear Lord,

the trees are thick
and we've yet to see a path
through the wilderness.

Send us a light.

Show us the way. Amen.

Amen.

(COUGHS)

I can't believe you've
been here this whole time
and didn't tell us.

What? You thought I was
gonna miss the show?

Sorry.

No. Hey, you don't
owe me anything.

You're the one,
the two of you,

who had the guts
and the vision.

I meant about her.

Oh.

Yeah, her, well...

I made my own bed
on that one, so.

"Thou shalt not
commit adultery"

is the seventh commandment.

Thank you for
clarifying that, Emmett.

You're welcome.

LeMARCUS: Look, Elliott,

we can't thank you
enough, man.

Without you, we...

we wouldn't have even
had a shot to pull this off.

What's going on here?

Are we about
to hold hands

and feel good about
your little protest?

'Cause I thought you guys
were in it to win it.

You know, as if it were, say,
the national title.

Let me give you a little
something I stumbled across
on my travels.

I believe that's your coach's.

It wasn't even
wrapped in aluminum.

Amateur move.

Yeah, but what's
the point of this?

We can't unlock it.

Do you need to?

You know what's on it,

and you're a quarterback.

You know how
to bluff the other team.

So, you saying
we keep going?

That's not my decision.

It's not even about
which one is right.

It's about which one are you
gonna be able to live with,

no matter how it goes,

how much you suffer
the consequences.

I'm just letting you know
you still have some options.

It's off to Rome
for me, comrades.

You ain't staying
for the game?

Nah, opiate for the masses.
It's, like, too much winning
for my taste.

I'm so proud of you guys.

You did this, you alone.

And it was...

It was fucking magnificent.

Veni, vidi.
BOTH: Vici.

(COUGHING)

God damn.
Well,

we're about due
for our surrender.

What you thinking?
I don't fucking know.

My head is pounding.

Where is that doc?
Yeah, I'll go get him.

He said he'd wait
in the lobby.

(COUGHS)

Damn, you're sick.

See if I can get you
another IV.

I'll be back in 10.

(INDISTINCT CHANTING
IN THE DISTANCE)

TITUS: As soon as he gets
here, we'll have the coach
and him reunite,

pleasantries,
and then we'll get right

to inviting the media,
and I'll give them
a few minutes.

They'll go off to play...
(KNOCK ON DOOR)

Here we go.

LeMarcus has risen.
There he is.
Hey, there he is!

All right.

Great to see you.
Can I get you something?

Some water? Snickers?

(MEN LAUGH)

I'm good. Thanks.

You were a little
under the weather,
but you're better now.

Yeah.

TITUS: That's good news.

WES: Not for us.

(MEN CHUCKLE)

MAN: True.

I just wanted to get us
to have a little face-to-face

before we bring
the cameras in here.

I was just telling
the coach here

how impressed I was
with your conduct.

Very honorable.

LAZOR: LeMarcus.

The team is back.

They heard about
this deal and...

Everybody else
is playing.

It's just you
and Emmett now.

These gentlemen are
giving you a committee,

and they are going to address
all of your grievances.

So...

Time to put
on those pads,

join your brothers
and do battle.

Everybody's
counting on you.

I'm counting on you.

You know, I assure you,
LeMarcus, this isn't
a ceremonial committee.

We're going to dig down into
these issues and figure out
what's best for all of us.

All right?

Like the coach said,
we have a game to play.

Let's get the camera.
I didn't say yes.

EVERLY: What's that?

I didn't say yes.

(SIGHS)

What would it take,
in your mind, to get to yes?

Our demands haven't changed.

(CHUCKLES)

It's a sealed case file
from that fateful night
at the Gin Mill.

The detectives
investigated for two weeks,

and then (SIGHS)
suddenly, Casey Walton

decided to drop
the charges.

A lot of moving
pieces in there, LeMarcus.

This thing is a minefield.

You found my brother yet?
KATHERINE: Getting close.

I'd really love to stop the
search and just have a beer,

watch a football game.

Why don't we tell them, Coach?

We're a wolf pack, right?

We hunt together,
we starve alone.

Ain't that the creed
you always preach?

Why don't we tell everybody
how high up this really goes?

Stop! Just stop!

Look, you come
out of this now,

you're not just
a Heisman Trophy winner,

NFL first-rounder.

You're an icon now.

You've already
accomplished that.

You're the Curt Flood
of collegiate athletics.

You...

You're making history
here already.

They're going to write
books about you.

Now don't throw
everything away

for whatever this
self-righteous bullshit is.

Come on, man,
you've worked too hard.

Hmm.

We've worked
too hard for this.

Let's just go fucking
win this thing.

(SCOFFS)

Win.

That's all that
really matters, right?

Just win.

So that's what I did.
I won every damn game I could.

Conference championships.

Heisman Trophy. I won,
and I won, and I won.

Until you were so blind,
you didn't even see the game
I was really playing.

You see, in order
to slay Goliath,

you've got to do it
on the biggest stage

with the brightest lights.

Millions of people,
an entire system,

so desperate
for one more win,

they do anything,
give anything.

No matter how many bodies
you got to stand on top of.

And then you got
your professor,

who's fucking
the coach's wife,

to give you everything
you need, and you win.

Motherfucker!

(INDISTINCT SHOUTING)

God damn you,
you fucking ungrateful...

Jesus fucking Christ,
LeMarcus!

My wife, my wife!

Oh, my God.

Jesus Christ, man, everything
we've been through together.

Everything I've done for you.

You were a pimply-faced
little 16-year-old boy.

Scared to leave home,

and I looked
your mother in the eyes,

and I said, "I will take care
of your boy."

And that's what I've done.

Treated you like my own.

Like my own son.

How could you...
(SIGHS)

God damn, LeMarcus, why?

For all the ones
to come, Coach.

The ones who ain't
as fortunate.

Get this broken system
unbroken,

so no more of us get banged up
and forced back into poverty.

Just like what happened
to Reggie.

You're the only one
who knew about that file.

You stoop even lower and
you bring Reggie into this?

But to you, he's just...

He's just some pawn
that you can use against me?

He was my brother.

He was a human being.

Reggie died four months ago
in Tallahassee.

He took his own life.

Oh, Jesus. Fuck.

Y'all didn't know, and what's
worse, y'all don't even care.

There's always some
new batch of kids

to get you more wins
and get you more money.

I am not your son.

I'm a man.

Yeah, you are.

And I love you.

But I got a football
game to win.

(TITUS CLEARS THROAT)
Gentlemen, would you
step out for a minute?

Give us some time?

(THUDS)

LeMARCUS: You open up
that minefield,

it's going to be more
than me and Reggie.

On Coach's phone,

we got emails from
prosecutors, law enforcement.

All of them were involved
in the cover-up.

Shoot, even the governor
chest bumps in the locker room
on game day.

Coach's phone, you'll find
a text where he promises
to take care of it.

The martyr,

willing to die
for the cause.

I find that courageous,
admirable.

But...

What about Emmett Sunday?

You said you were
doing this for him.

Ms. Poe?

(KATHERINE
CLEARS THROAT)

"It was chaos,
people everywhere.

"Then all of a sudden,
LeMarcus James,

"the quarterback,
showed up with someone else.

(CLEARS THROAT) "A big guy,
he was really dangerous.

"Then the big white guy

"flew through the crowd
and hit one guy

"who dropped like
he was dead, and threw
another guy into a wall.

"LeMarcus grabbed the man
the crew were beating on

"and everyone ran.

"Like I said, it was chaos."

It was self-defense.

TITUS: Maybe so.

Maybe so,
but it doesn't matter.

We go down this road.

They won't be
putting you on trial.

They'll be putting
your best friend Emmett.

Now, do you have the stomach
to watch the sharks

rip him apart, limb by limb,
in front of the whole world

and leave him destroyed?

Canceled.

LeMarcus, you're standing
toe-to-toe with the behemoth

and we haven't even
begun to fight.

College football
is more important
than you, me, Emmett.

Or whatever really is
on that phone.

The American people

will let the state of Missouri
fall into the sea

rather than give up Saturday
afternoon, drunk and roaring
for their alma mater.

We're inevitable as the rain.

Now you gonna put
on that helmet or not?

(CROWD CHEERING)

ANNOUNCER: Gearing up
for the college football
national title game,

the fans are buzzing with
excitement...

EMMETT: "Inevitable."
Like what?

The rain.

"I'm inevitable as the rain."

Feels powerful.
Mmm-hmm. It was.

Gonna have to drain the fluid
out of this damn thing again.

You look better, lighter.

Finally breathing
through my nose.

By the way, that
Doc Holliday head fake?

You playing like
you were on your deathbed
was sure good.

Lacked the nuance of Kilmer,
but I bought it.

"I'll be your Huckleberry."

(CHUCKLES)

You sure they didn't try
to use me against you?

No. I swear.

'Cause if I find out
that you were...
Trust me.

They know
this fight hurts them
way more than it hurts us.

All those people
involved in the cover-up?

They ain't doing shit.

STEVE ON TV: The Superdome
in New Orleans is ready
to explode with excitement.

Tonight, it's the Snickers
national title game.

Hi, everybody,
and good evening.

I'm Steve Levy, along with
Malcolm Jenkins and this
one has all the makings.

This could be a classic.

No. Leave it.
We're talking about
for years to come,

for a variety of reasons.

A lot of the
controversy still looms

with LeMarcus James being
missing from the action,

as he continues his fight
against the NCAA practices,

a stance that has gone
crazy on social media

with the viral hashtag,
#fixthesystem.

STEVE: How about
one million tweets
the last 12 hours alone?

My sense is, this is
only the beginning.

How do you think
that translates

onto the field
the next 60 minutes

we'll see tonight?
JENKINS: Well,
I think you'll see

these coaches have these
teams prepared.

You know, these players
have worked so hard
to get to this moment,

that I think that
they will be focused on...

At least we made
some noise, right?

That wasn't just noise.

The truth is out now
because of us.

They can't hide it.

Now more people are
gonna stand up a lot more.

And they'll know right
where to hit them.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Hell, yeah.
Man, we're like the rebels
in Rogue One.

We die on the beach,

but the plans
for the Death Star
make it off the island.

Nothing is inevitable,
except the truth.