I didn’t want to scare her, but I wanted her to know that we were concerned. He didn’t strike me as a player who would disrespect his job or his teammates, but today was a big day and our biggest player wasn’t here. I saw bubbles pop up and then disappear. At least she saw my message. I didn’t want to let my imagination run wild, so I waited and listened to Bill talk about yesterday’s game. Eventually, we’d get to review plays on screen, but right now we were just reviewing what the team did well and areas we needed to improve. Grayson was in both categories and was missing it.

I’m so sorry. He’s on his way. Give him twenty minutes.

That was it. No explanation. Nothing. I texted Jamal and told him. Thirty seconds later, he returned to the room.

“He’ll be here in twenty.” Jamal looked at me and nodded thanks.

Winning the first game was great, but missing practice the day after was inexcusable. Hopefully, Grayson had a good reason. I didn’t want him to miss my film discussion, so Marcus and the defensive coaches went first. I almost missed Grayson slipping into a seat in the back row. I gave a general impression of the offense and let my individual coaches talk about improvements they wanted to see. We threw in clips of great plays and every score to boost morale. It was important to improve, but we wanted the team to know they did a good job overall.

“Let’s break for lunch. This afternoon we’ll review Miami’s game. Moats, stick around,” Bill said.

Jamal and I hung out because we needed to find out what was going on with Grayson. He moved from the back of the room to the front.

“Why weren’t you here on time, Moats?”

Grayson ran his hands over his face. “Coach, I’m sorry. I ate bad food last night and wasn’t feeling well.” He held up a bottle of Gatorade as though that explained everything.

“Let’s get the rules down. If you have a tummy ache, let us know. You call in just like you would if you had any other job,” Bill said, emphasizing tummy ache with a whiny voice.

“I’m really sorry. It won’t happen again, I promise.”

Jamal pointed at him. “I expect this from a rookie, not a veteran. You have everyone’s number so there’s no excuse for not letting us know. In the future, text or call me first, and if I don’t respond, text or call Coach McCoy, and if she doesn’t respond, then you text or call Coach Trust. Are we clear?”

“Yes. I’m sorry.” Grayson nodded humbly.

“Go try to eat something,” Jamal said.