Requiem for a Broken Dream.

[Captain Canada]

Stay piping his man's girl is sick business

[Soapy]

I see the headline now: The X-League's Fujitsu Frontiers sign former Ball State and Kentucky running back Kamaldeen Seidu-Harris. Konichiwa, Kamaldeen!

Kamsamida!

Stay piping his man's girl is sick business

You would never do that, right?

[Soapy]

Season 6, Episode 2
The late afternoon sun beat down on the practice field as sweat glistened on the players' faces. Rasheem took his place behind center, eyeing the defense with fierce determination. He glanced over to the sideline, Cole, the senior transfer from Marshall, keeping a watchful eye on the competition.

"Blue 42! Blue 42! Hut!" Rasheem barked out the signals, his voice carrying across the field. The ball snapped into his hands and he dropped back, scanning for an open receiver. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Kam break out of the backfield, but the running back cut left instead of right as they had planned just as the ball left Rasheem’s finger tips.

It sailed wide, landing with a dull thud on the turf. Coach Hamdan's whistle pierced the air.

“You had inside leverage!” Rasheem beat coach Hamdan to the punch, screaming towards Kam who was slowly walking back to the huddle.

“It don’t matter if the linebacker is right there,” Kam retorted, “I beat the motherfucker away, you just read the bitch wrong.”

“It’s fucking quick game bro,” their argument continued despite various teammates telling them to move on, “I don’t have time to read that shit, just go off the fucking leverage, like we’ve been asking you to do all year.”

“Nigga, play one fucking real snap before you talk to me,” Kam scoffed, taking his helmet off to shake his dreads, “It don’t fucking matter if I have inside leverage if I’m running right into the inside backer, he’s going to pick that bitch off for six or I can go outside, beat the motherfucker across his face, like I did, and be wide ass open in the flat for a first down just like I did all fucking year last year.”

“Just run the fucking play,” Rasheem snapped at Kam, turning his head towards the sideline to get the next play call.

“Just throw the fucking ball.”

“Shut up, bitch,” Rasheem waved him off, trying to decipher the signals that were being relayed in for the third time.

Kam got in Rasheem’s face, pushing the hands off the offensive line off him, “What’d you call me?”

Something snapped inside Rasheem. All the pressure, all the doubt, all the frustration of the past weeks came boiling to the surface. Before he could stop himself, he shoved Kam away from him.

The punch caught Rasheem square on the jaw, dropping him to one knee. His vision swam as he tasted blood. In an instant, the offensive line swarmed around him, creating a wall between Rasheem and the enraged running back. They began shoving him back before Marlon stepped in, helping create distance between the mob and Kam.

"Break it up! Break it up!" Coach Stoops' voice boomed across the field as he and the other coaches rushed over.

Kam glared at Rasheem through the forest of linemen, chest heaving. Without a word, he turned and started walking off the field.

"Kam! Get back here!" Coach Stoops yelled. "Practice isn't over!"

But Kam kept walking, disappearing into the locker room tunnel as a stunned silence fell over the practice field. Rasheem struggled to his feet, his teammates' concerned faces swimming before him.

…

The place was a dive, all peeling vinyl booths and scratched wooden surfaces, but it was far enough from campus that he wouldn't run into anyone he knew. He slumped onto a barstool, the cracked leather exhaling a weary sigh beneath him.

"Jack and Coke," he grunted to the bartender, a weathered man with nicotine-stained fingers who barely glanced up from wiping down the counter.

As the amber liquid sloshed into his glass, Kam replayed the fight in his head. The satisfying crunch as his fist connected with Rasheem's jaw. The shock in his teammate's eyes. The way the other players had swarmed around them like a hive of angry bees.

One drink turned into three, then five. The bar's grimy mirror reflected back a distorted version of himself - eyes bloodshot, dreads disheveled. Outside, the sky deepened to indigo, then inky black. The jukebox in the corner wheezed out old country tunes, a soundtrack to his spiral.

"You alright there, son?" the bartender asked, eyeing Kam's swaying form.

Kam waved him off, fumbling for his wallet. He squinted at his phone: 2:37 AM.

Stumbling out into the muggy Kentucky night, Kam's world tilted and swirled. He leaned against a lamppost, trying to steady himself. The distant wail of sirens pierced the darkness.

Blue and red lights suddenly flooded the street. Kam's stomach dropped as a police cruiser pulled up beside him.

"This is getting real old, Kam," Officer Daniels drawled, stepping out of the car. His partner, a younger cop Kam didn't recognize, hung back.

"Y’all came all the way out here?" Kam slurred, attempting to straighten up.

"You know the drill, son. Hands against the wall."

As Officer Daniels patted him down, Kam closed his eyes, willing the ground to stop spinning beneath his feet.

"Why don’t you just drink in your apartment?" Daniels said, his voice a mix of disappointment and resignation. "I heard the school set you up real nice, even better than where I lay my head at.”

Kam's shoulders slumped as they guided him into the back of the cruiser, catching a glimpse of his reflection in the window.

[djp73]

Kam's about to be back at Ball State

[Captain Canada]

The fall off should be well-documented. Shit's gonna be a movie.

[Soapy]

Kam's about to be back at Ball State

djp knows

The fall off should be well-documented. Shit's gonna be a movie.

get ya popcorn ready!

[Soapy]

Season 6, Episode 3
“Sticking with the running back position, let’s talk about another name that might have surprised some people and been an introduction for others.”

“Yes, Pete, another underclassman on this list that could very well be entering the draft if he has another strong season and that’s Kentucky’s Kamaldeen Seidu-Harris, listed at six-foot, two-hundred and thirty pounds but played closer to that two-fifteen range last year. He was essentially the Wildcats’ entire offense, over one-hundred yards per game on the ground and was their second leading receiver with seventy-nine receptions, averaged over fifty yards per game as a receiver which is really what makes him an intriguing prospect.”

“For me, he’s another one of those bubble guys that if they do declare, it will come down to the testing numbers because he’s been productive, both at Kentucky and at Ball State.”

“The numbers are impressive but to me, he still needs to put together a really productive season and most importantly, against some of the better teams that the Wildcats will face this year. You have Miami early on, second game of the season. They play Alabama on the road, Texas A&M, LSU late in the year. We know he can run for nearly one-fifty against Akron, South Alabama, Louisville, those types of defenses but when he’s facing other guys that are going to be playing at the next level, is he still that guy?”

“I’m going to push back a little bit here from a scout’s perspective. He played behind a pretty average offensive line, at best, and as long as the tools are there, and they appear to be there for Seidu-Harris, I’m going to do some projecting as a scout as to what the production will look like if he has an adequate offensive line which is why it comes back to the testing for me. You see the balance on tape, the vision, the patience. He has good hands, a good feel as a receiver out of the backfield and he’s solid in pass pro. The only question really is the top end speed, and I think ultimately that will keep him from being a day two guy but when you’re talking about those mid to late rounds, you’re more looking for traits that can develop into a role on your team and I think he show that last year.”

…

As the dusk settled, casting long shadows across the football field, Coach Stoops walked towards the double doors that led into the offices, his weathered face etched with concern. The crisp autumn air carried the faint scent of grass and sweat, a familiar aroma that usually brought comfort but now only heightened his unease.

"Any word?" Stoops asked, settling into the last empty chair at the head of the table.

Coach Boulware shook his head, his expression grim. "Nothing, wasn’t at his apartment either.”

Stoops' brow furrowed deeper, lines of anxiety etching themselves into his forehead. He pulled out his phone, thumb hovering over Kam's number. He'd already left a dozen messages, each one more urgent than the last.

…

The familiar sights of campus scrolled past his window, a stark contrast to the rolling bluegrass hills. The late summer heat clung to the air, thick and oppressive, as Kam pulled into the parking lot of the apartment complex.

The drive had been long, nearly four hours of nothing but open road and the incessant buzz of his thoughts. He hadn't planned this trip, hadn't even packed a bag. It was impulse, pure and simple, born from a desperate need to escape the suffocating pressure.

Kam took a deep breath, inhaling the scent of fast food wrappers and stale coffee that permeated his car. With a heavy sigh, he pushed open the door and made his way to her second-floor apartment. His footsteps echoed in the stairwell, each one bringing him closer to a world he was ready to be enveloped by.

He knocked, the sound sharp and sudden in the quiet hallway. There was a moment of silence, then the muffled sound of movement from within. The door swung open, revealing her surprised face.

"Kam?" Yassy asked, her brow furrowed in confusion. "What are you doing here?"

Kam shifted his weight, suddenly aware of how unprepared he was for this moment. "Hey, Yass. I, uh... I just needed to see you."

Yassy's eyes narrowed, taking in his disheveled appearance and the dark circles under his eyes. "Shouldn't you be…the season's about to start, isn't it?"

Kam nodded, his gaze dropping to the worn welcome mat at his feet. "Yeah, it is. I just... came to see you, is all.”

Yassy stepped back, wordlessly inviting him inside. The apartment was similar to how he remembered touring it, small but cozy, except now filled with furniture and the warm scent of vanilla candles. He'd insisted on paying for it, wanting Yassy to have a nice place while she finished her time in Muncie.

"Kam, what's going on?" Yassy asked, her voice soft with concern.

Kam sank onto the couch, the springs creaking beneath his weight. "I can’t just want to see my girlfriend? You were complaining all last year about us not seeing each other and shit.”

“I’m glad you’re here,” she stammered, still putting the pieces together in her mind, “It’s just that you’re the one that keeps stressing to me how important this season was going to be and how everything can change with the right outcome and...”

“I just want to hang out with my girl,” his eyes looked into hers, “Forget about all this other shit and just have a good time, is that okay?”

Yassy's eyes widened, realization dawning on her face. "Oh, Kam," she whispered, settling beside him, “We can do that, babe.”

[Captain Canada]

Oh damn the plot thickens

[djp73]

Gotta go get like 2k and 20 if he slumming it back in the MAC

[Soapy]

Oh damn the plot thickens

Gotta go get like 2k and 20 if he slumming it back in the MAC

We back in the MAC?